Manic Taser Dream Girl
by AnnieMar
Summary: Upon Darcy's return to the U.S. after encountering evil space-elves in London, and after her recent break-up with Ian, she receives her first mission as an official S.H.I.E.L.D. agent ... teaching a god how to blend in better (absolutely no horns), or he might find himself in very big trouble. Events set post-Thor: TDW and during CA: TWS. Rated M for reasons ;-) #tasertricks
1. Chapter 1

**I certainly don't own any Marvel characters.  
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**Part 1 - Big Apple**

Darcy was in the middle of reading a _Walking Dead_ recap on her laptop, when Clint Barton came up behind her and said in his usual stern manner, "Director Fury wants to have a word with you, Lewis."

She jumped out of her chair and almost spilled coffee all over her lap. "You scared me!"

She turned around to scold further, realized who it was, and promptly froze. For one, she had just been caught surfing the internet while she was supposed to be working, even though she was at a bit of an impasse for the time being. She was waiting for more information before she could continue her weekly report for Agent Coulson.

And for two, she had a wildly inappropriate and devastating crush on Clint, or rather Hawkeye, who happened to be looking absolutely delicious in his black S.H.I.E.L.D. super-assassin-wear that he always donned.

_Damn, he looked fine_, she thought.

Darcy tried to push her nervousness and libido down somewhere deep and out of the way … she took a breath and looked up at him.

"Sure. Wait … why is Directory Fury sending an assassin to come and get me?" She started to panic a little. "What did I do? I promise, I don't surf the web all day, I'm just waiting for some more information from London before I can continue..."

He held up a hand to signal that she should stop rambling. He was one of the only people that could get her to do that. Get her to stop rambling.

"It's nothing like that, I assure you," he said with the tiniest of smirks on his face. "I just happened to be in a meeting in his office, and he asked if someone could come and get you."

A little thrill of excitement ran up Darcy's spine at the thought of Hawkeye volunteering to come and fetch her. Perhaps he wanted to spend a little time with her, get to know her better, show her what incredible aim and control he had …"

"I was the only one who was available for a few minutes." His words shattered the fantasy.

_Oh._

With a flimsy smile, she nodded and stood, picked up her phone and coffee, and followed Barton down the hallway and into the nearest elevator. He pushed the button that would lead up to Fury's floor in S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, which required an authorized hand print for access, something that Darcy definitely didn't have. This was probably another reason that Barton had come to get her … not too many people had the security clearance.

_I'm such an idiot_, she thought. _What could he possibly see in me._

"I really like that show you were reading about," he said as they rode to the top floor.

_Was Hawkeye attempting small talk with me?_ Her sense of hope was renewed for a tiny moment.

"Yeah?" She smiled big at him, excited that he spent at least a little time vegging in front of a TV like her, instead of constantly perched hundreds of feet above the ground, ready to shoot someone. "It's my favorite show right now," she mused. "Well, at least until _Game of Thrones_ and _Mad Men_ come back from hiatus. I never really liked zombie stuff before ... they always scared the hell out of me, but something about the concept of everyone eventually becoming a zombie, since everyone is infected, is just so interesting."

"That's because it's not really about the zombies. It's about the real monsters—us. _Humans_ are the infection." He replied grimly.

_Well that's depressing_, she thought.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, she added, "Yeah, and there's also Daryl Dixon, hottest guy in the zombie apocalypse. There's just something crazy sexy about a guy with a cross… ."

And with that, the elevator reached its destination and opened. She instinctively walked out, expecting Barton to follow her. She turned around and saw that he remained in the elevator, intending to go back down.

She absentmindedly finished her word … "bow."

_Shit, crossbow!_

Darcy instantly realized what she had said, but couldn't see the expression on his face as the doors closed swiftly with a ding, and he was swept away to someplace else. Someplace far away from silly hackers—er, web designers—and off to somewhere much more elite and serious and valid. She never felt like a valid person. She usually felt like a ridiculous person.

"_Fuck_." She muttered under her breath.

"I'm such an idiot."

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_AN: The fic starts several weeks after the events of Thor: TDW.  
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_The events of Captain America: TWS and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D will also be reflected in the background. _

_Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

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Darcy didn't have much time to muse over her embarrassing revelation to Barton for long, as she was instantly ushered by an assistant into Nick Fury's office, where he was waiting for her.

"Miss Lewis," Fury began as he gestured for her to have a seat, exuding authority from his director's chair. He was wearing what appeared to be an official S.H.I.E.L.D black fleece pullover instead of his trademark leather duster that she'd always seen him wear before. Perhaps even leaders of espionage agencies needed to be comfortable from time to time, though he still looked like he could kill a person by cocking an eyebrow, North Face jacket or no.

"Mr. Fury." Darcy said as she sat down, nerves making her jittery. She looked around the office to ground herself and noted that it was very minimalist, yet somehow comfortable. There were several computers and television screens placed at 360 degrees, all of which looked beyond any technology that one could find in an electronics store. He definitely did not get this shit at Best Buy.

"How are you adjusting to life in New York after the London incident?" He inquired.

"Incident? Oh, you mean when evil space-elves came to Earth to destroy the universe?" She said without thinking. Her brain was malfunctioning due to nervousness.

Fury nodded but also raised his killer eyebrow in what appeared to be agitation.

Oops. She didn't want to mess this up … she wanted to be on his good side. If he had a good side. It was just that sometimes words came out of her mouth on their own, especially in tense situations.

And it wasn't every day that a lowly science-intern was invited into Nick Fury's office, after all. Granted, she'd moved up in the world since re-discovering her first love of web-design_ (cough-_hacking-_cough)_. She was also offered an official position with S.H.I.E.L.D. in her own right, instead of just being an assistant to Jane.

Darcy had recently admitted to herself that neither of her earlier niches of political science or interning for an astrophysicist were particularly interesting. She'd accepted that she was more of a creative and intuitive "right brain" than a logical "left brain". Being attacked and almost killed by evil space-elves tended to make one take stock and think about what mattered in life, and sciency stuff didn't actually matter to her so much. It mattered to her parents.

She plastered a smile on her face. "New York is great!" She said excitedly. "I love my new apartment, much bigger than our place in London … I swear that city is meant for tiny people. And it's really cool to live _next_ to Jane instead of _with_ Jane. We get along a lot better that way, or rather, I annoy her a lot less … I think. And the city is great … at least, my block is great, it has some awesome take-out joints and a bookshop … haven't had much time to do much exploring beyond that."

"Yes, the life of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent can be very demanding, but it's not without its rewards. I'm glad you find your apartment agreeable," he said, making very official-sounding small talk. She wondered what he wanted and wished he'd just get to the point. She was getting fidgety.

"I'm happy to say that you're doing very good work, Miss Lewis. Your reports are always very organized and helpful. And you've certainly made our office network a lot prettier and easier to navigate, which was no small feat."

"Thank you, sir." She was getting weirded out that he was complimenting her. She wasn't used to it.

"But the reason that you're here today is because we want to give you your first big long-term assignment," he revealed.

Nervousness was temporarily set aside for surprised elation.

"Really? Like, my first mission? Do I get any special gadgets? Like an earring lock-pick? A mini-taser that looks like a pen?" Darcy was thrilled that S.H.I.E.L.D. had enough trust in her to be in charge of something important. A "long-term assignment" even, as Fury called it.

"Not quite." He said looking vaguely amused, or annoyed … couldn't tell with him. "We need you to be a sort of consultant."

"A consultant?" This was beginning to sound a lot less promising. Figured.

"Yes. A very special sort of consultant, Miss Lewis. As I said before, the life of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is very demanding … their work is their life, and they don't get much of a chance to interact with the outside world too much, at least in a more traditional sense. We need you, because out of any of the other agents in this building, you still seem to be connected to culture, current events, trends, that sort of thing."

"You mean I speak 'normal'?"

"Exactly." He said with a nod. "You understand our culture in ways that most agents do not, or in ways that they've simply forgotten due to the nature and demands of the job."

Darcy thought this seemed odd. Just because she listened to music all day and hung up an Obi-Wan Kenobi poster on the wall by her desk, she was a "culture" expert?

"Also, you are already associated with Thor," Fury went on. "And you're aware of the existence of Asgard, the Bifrost … the tesseract, that sort of thing."

"And space-elves … can't forget the space-elves," she reminded him.

He ignored her. "Basically, you're already familiar with these phenomena through Jane's research, and Thor calls you a friend ... as do others in the Avengers Initiative. Steve Rogers has nothing but good things to say about you."

"So … I don't quite understand. You want me to show Thor how to be a muggle? Cause I think Jane already has that down."

"No, not Thor. We need you to help assimilate his brother. Loki."

_Um. Whaaaaaaat?!_

Darcy shook her head to knock the cobwebs out, for surely she had heard wrong ... because since the London incident, Thor had certainly been devastated about the demise of his younger brother, on top of dealing with his mother's death.

"WHAT? No way, man. Loki is dead! Please tell me he's dead! Thor _cried_! Wait, don't tell him I said that." Darcy was pretty sure that he wouldn't want that to be common knowledge … made him less god-like.

Fury looked at her for a few seconds before speaking. "I'm sorry to say this, but he's not dead. He's very much alive and he's very much in big trouble if too many people find out he's here. And when I say "people", I mean otherworldly beings that want him punished, tortured, and dead … so you understand why we want him to keep a low profile."

"Ummmm … _Loki_." She looked at Fury, bewildered, squinting behind her glasses as if it would help her to see the situation better. "The guy that tried to kill Thor? His _brother_? The guy that leveled our little town in New Mexico? Lead a giant evil space-amphibian terrorist attack on New York City? You want me to help this guy out? What the hell is he even doing back here?" Darcy realized that she probably shouldn't be questioning Director Fury like this, but she couldn't help it. She was dumbfounded.

"Yes," Fury said, keeping cool, understanding that she was shocked. "Loki did all those things, Miss Lewis, and we will never forget that. However. He was also integral in saving our _entire_ universe from the Dark Elves and their power source. He also helped to save Dr. Foster's life. These words feel like vinegar coming out of my mouth, but if it wasn't for Loki … and Thor of course, none of us would be here. I'm not saying he's getting a medal, far from it. But he's proved himself to be … somewhat repentant for his crimes on Earth." Fury said the last part with a slight eye-roll, as if he didn't quite believe in Loki's new-found hero status.

Darcy, of course, had heard the whole story from Jane. How Loki and Thor conspired to escape Asgard via flying Viking ship and through a hidden portal to Svartalfheim.

"How do you be _somewhat_ repentant for the shit he did? He tried to take over the world like some kind of idiotic cartoon villain." She remembered seeing video footage and reports that included images of Loki wearing a ridiculous helmet with obscenely long horns. "All he was missing was the bumbling sidekick."

"That's part of the problem. Loki _was_ the bumbling sidekick. We just never saw the puppet-master," Fury said gravely.

_Okay, that's scary._

"But how is he not dead!?" She was still flabbergasted.

"Miss Lewis, I understand your outrage, I promise you, I do. And when we heard word that he had died, believe me, we were not sad about it. But it seems Loki was only _thought_ dead on Svartalfheim. After his body was supposedly recovered, he showed up back home in the guise of a guard … and then apparently as his father."

"So he faked his death _again_? Thor has believed him dead twice! That's some seriously messed-with emotions right there. I mean ... _poor guy_."

"We're actually not certain if he recovered after Thor believed he had died, or if he faked it entirely, but he certainly didn't correct people's assumptions." Fury got up and started walking around in his Fury way, to dramatically explain himself further.

"After Odin was told the news that they'd found a body in the Dark World and that it was Loki, he fell into what they call "Odinsleep" … which as it was explained to me, is a restorative self-induced comatose state. The death of his wife and son, as well as Thor's treason, were just too much for him."

He stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows with his hands clasped behind his back and continued ... "long story short, after Odin awakened to find Loki acting as king in his stead, he was both relieved that his son was alive, and furious about his impersonations. He released Loki from prison for his role in saving the Nine Realms, but also banished him from Asgard for his deception, declaring that the same punishment would be meted out to him, that he once manipulated into happening for Thor."

"So Loki has been banished to Earth?"

"Yes. And so has Thor, for the time being."

"Thor is back? He was just summoned to Asgard last week."

So that's why he had been urgently called back home ... Real-Odin decided to wake up from his nap. Jane would be over the moon ... she had been worried that he'd be gone for a very long time, as you just didn't know with him. She had actually gone back to her not-eating and not-bathing habits from before the the whole "Aether" situation, and Thor's appearance in London. Darcy had wondered if her friend was developing serious abandonment issues.

Fury went on to explain. "Yes, both of them are here … Odin having exiled them, thinking that for some reason, Earth is nothing more than a half-way house for wayward princes. They're currently staying in the building until we finalize plans for them."

"What was Thor exiled for this time?"

"He was cast out for his treason. Loki-as-Odin had pardoned him ... but the real Odin needed to make his mark, apparently."

Darcy was confused. "But that doesn't make any sense. Thor was the one who saved the whole universe. He killed the big bad space-elf, for Godsake!"

"According to Odin, his actions were still treasonous." Fury shook his head. "At least he's not in an Asgardian prison. Odin also seems pretty salty about Thor not wanting to take on the crown ... apparently, he told him—and I'm paraphrasing here—that if he wanted to be on Earth so bad, then he could just stay here."

The director walked back to his desk. "For now, Loki will not be permitted to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters until we know that he can assimilate into our society without putting up any red flags, or being an unintentional beacon for alien-beings out there looking for vengeance. He'll be a fish out of water, so to speak … much like Thor was in New Mexico, which only did more to alert S.H.I.E.L.D. to his presence there. Who knows what Loki would attract under similar circumstances. We can't put our planet at risk just because Odin needed to give his son a spanking. We also need to make sure that he's not going to pull some stunt like he did the last time he was in New York. So far, he seems cooperative, but they don't call him the "God of Mischief" for nothing."

"What about Thor?"

"Thor is different. We still need him to blend in better, but he's a member of the Avengers Initiative. We know him to be benevolent and an ally. Most importantly, he sees humans as equals … or at the very least, deserving of respect."

"Loki on the other hand … ." Darcy had never met him, but he seemed like the world's biggest douchebag. No, the _universe's_ biggest douchebag.

"Loki doesn't have much respect for humans. He's playing the part of a good boy so far, but it's obvious that he at least partly holds to his 'ant-boot' philosophy."

"So you want me to help a guy … a guy who thinks I'm no more intelligent than pond-scum … to assimilate into American culture?"

"Yes." Fury sighed. "That's exactly what we want you to do. And to ease any concerns you might have for your safety, you will have access to a bodyguard whenever you feel like you need one. You'll also be relieved to know that just like Thor was in New Mexico, Loki has been stripped of all his powers."

_Still not comforting, _she thought.

"How many people did you ask before you asked me?" She wondered.

"Miss Lewis, we are asking you because we believe you to be the perfect person for the job."

Yep. That was Fury-speak for "at least ten people refused and you were the bottom of the barrel." Who would be stupid enough to hang around an alien megalomaniac that tried to enslave the entire planet with a big blue glow-stick?

_I can't do this._

"Mr. Fury, I'm flattered by the offer, but like I said … I haven't had much time to venture past my block with all the projects I'm working on, and I honestly don't know when I'd have the time … "

"We will lighten your workload considerably," Fury said, cutting her off.

Darcy closed her eyes … what other excuse could she think of? She really didn't want to be a god-sitter. Officially, she was a web designer. Unofficially, she was a hacker, because you really couldn't put that on a business card. But nowhere in her job description did it say that she taught psycho alien-god-princes how to be modern-American bros. Helping out WWII-era frozen dudes was more of a hobby, but details!

This was so _not_ what she was hoping for as her first legit S.H.I.E.L.D. mission. She was thinking more along the lines of helping a James Bond-type hot spy to catch some supervillain, perhaps an ex-KGB officer who had a secret lair in a cave somewhere in the South Pacific. Darcy would hack into his computer files, save the day, and then afterwards lay on the beach with Daniel Craig—er, the hot spy—and drink mai tais with little umbrellas. Not this.

"Umm … I was thinking about taking some time off and visiting my dad in New Orleans for a few weeks. S.H.I.E.L.D. offered to let me take some time because of the space-elf thing, but I decided not to take it … I think that maybe I'd like … "

"Miss Lewis." Fury cut her off again. "Your file says that since graduate school, you are having to make payments on your $120,000 in student loans, is this correct?" Fury gracefully sat back down in his chair.

She sighed. "Yes." $1,000 dollars a month. It crippled her. If she wasn't given an apartment in Stark Tower as a perk for working at S.H.I.E.L.D., she'd never be able to afford living in New York City. Sometimes she wondered if she'd ever be able to get out from under the debt's constant shadow.

"If you take on this assignment, S.H.I.E.L.D. will pay all of your student loan debt."

"Done."

_I'm such an idiot_, she thought.

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_AN: Just a quick note about Darcy's hacking abilities ... the inspiration is from the MCU Thor comic that sort of explains what everyone was up to between _The Avengers_ and _Thor: TDW_._ _It's a fun read and instantly downloadable on Kindle. _


	3. Chapter 3

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"I did so many stupid things today Jane … I can't even."

The two girls were hanging out in Jane's apartment that evening for "Taco Tuesday", a weekly tradition they had started during their time in New Mexico. It probably should have been renamed "Tequila Tuesday", as the tacos had evolved into simply eating Mexican food, with the only constant in the equation being margaritas … and then usually straight Hornitos shots. Tortilla chips were passed around Jane's small kitchen table, and they helped themselves to chicken enchiladas with green chile.

Darcy vented. "First, I accidentally admitted to Hawkeye that I think he's hot—and even just that makes me want to crawl under a rock and never show my face again—but then I whored myself out to S.H.I.E.L.D. because I'm one of the lowly 99%, and now I'm going to have to god-sit a psychotic homicidal alien and teach him that wearing capes and helmets with long horns isn't something you do around here, unless you're five or it's Halloween." She took an extra-long sip of margarita, giving herself brain-freeze in the process. "Fury knew exactly what my Achilles Heel was, and I caved so hard. It's official, I have no integrity."

"Darcy, just breathe." Jane said. "For one, I wouldn't worry about Clint … you told him that a fictional character was hot, not him. Believe me, he's too clueless in that respect to know the difference. And for two, working with Loki might not be all bad, especially since your student loans are getting paid for. I don't see what's so wrong with that."

"Whatever, Jane. You're just relieved to have Thor back." Darcy suddenly felt bad for her incessant complaining when her friend's muscley alien love-toy had just landed back on Earth, and Jane had taken to eating again.

"Have you talked to him?"

"No. They won't let me see him yet. They're holding him all night for some kind of debriefing ... hopefully tomorrow." Jane then couldn't hide her grin after sipping on her margarita to calm her nerves. "I know it's supposed to be a bad thing that he was exiled again … but I can't stop smiling!"

"Hmmm, yeah. Cause you know you're getting laid soon. I'm jealz." Darcy said.

"You know damn well that you could be getting sexed-up daily, had you urged Ian to come with us to New York."

"Meh." Darcy had spent weeks trying to force a relationship into happening with Ian, but after the excitement wore off from impending death via evil space-elves and their giant uterus-spaceship from hell, there just wasn't much of a spark left. At least on Darcy's end.

Jane knew she wasn't going to get anything else out of her about Ian, so she switched back to Darcy's current predicament. "Just take your new assignment one day at a time. It'll be okay."

"What makes you think this isn't going to be a disaster?" Darcy wondered.

"Thor said that their mother's death changed Loki. He hit rock-bottom … and then when they fought together on Svartalfheim, it felt like old times, how they used to be in sync with each other … you know, before the whole diabolical-plan-take-over-the-world-thing," Jane said.

"Are you going soft for little-bro?" Darcy teased.

"Not at all. Letting Thor believe he was dead after everything that happened … let's just say I'm glad I got the chance to punch him." Darcy loved that part of Jane's Asgard story.

"But I do want to give you some insight into the situation, before you have to interact with the shithead," Jane said.

"Shoot," Darcy managed to say in the midst of crunching on chips and salsa.

"Okay. Thor thinks that Loki came into contact with some very dark energy after he, you know … fell, jumped, whatever … off the Bifrost, and that it amplified his more negative emotions and darker nature. Apparently, he was being kept in that state through his nearness to that scepter of his, and the tesseract ... at least partly. Without them, and by being back at home on Asgard, he was still, you know … an ass … but much less so."

"So something was controlling him?"

"Thor thinks so … at least somewhat. He said that when the Avengers were all near the scepter, while they held Loki captive on the Helicarrier, that it fueled everyone's anger ... which led to that whole unfortunate hulking-out situation. Loki had been holding that thing for a while, absorbing all those bad vibes. Who knows where that negative energy came from."

"So he was compelled by the dark side of The Force? Is Emperor Palpatine coming to get him?

"Something like that."

"Great. So some space-demon is after Loki, and Earth has to hide him. This is not cool! Why couldn't Odin banish him to some other planet? A planet that he hasn't tried to fucking enslave! If I can't teach him to appear to be your everyday 21st-century dude-bro, we're gonna be Death-Starred? This is too much pressure! This is _beyond_ too much pressure, Jane! This is madness! Shit! I'm starting to talk like them now … ."

"Shhh, calm down." Jane tried to sooth her. "This is probably just a precaution. Fury doesn't want to leave anything up to chance. There's not many people, on this planet or on Asgard, that know Loki is alive. Most of these 'threats' probably think he's dead. We just need them to keep thinking that."

"But won't people on Earth recognize him?"

"Not necessarily," Jane replied. "S.H.I.E.L.D. did a pretty good job of concealing his presence to the general public. As far as most people think, it was the Chitauri alone that was responsible. There was also quite a bit of 'cleanup' in the aftermath of Loki's appearances."

"You mean the 'Men in Black' mind-fucked them with those flashy things?"

"Umm … I don't think it was quite that invasive … more like making really powerful suggestions."

"Jane. Did you already know about this whole thing?" Darcy was wondering why Jane already seemed on board, and was doing her best to talk her into being cool with this assignment of a lifetime. She suspected that there had been conversations with the higher-ups about the situation.

"Not exactly. Or at least … I didn't know what I was saying." Jane said looking squirmish.

"Jane! What did you say?" Darcy was on her second margarita and was starting to get buzzed … and maybe a little loud.

Jane sighed. "All I said was that you were helping Steve to learn about the 70-year gap in history and popular culture that he's missing. Fury asked me what kinds of things we've all been doing together. I think he noticed that since we've been hanging out, Steve's loosened up a lot.

"Sooo?" Darcy was confused. How could watching a few movies with Captain America make Fury think that she could have any kind of impact on the brat prince of Asgard.

"Well … Fury seems to think that Steve is coming out of his shell because of you. He's more content with his surroundings. A content captain is a more effective captain," Jane stated.

"But it's not just me. It's mostly been the three of us! He's even come for Taco Tuesdays a few times! This isn't just my deal. Why didn't Fury ask you? You have a higher security clearance than me."

"Not for long. You'll be moving up from level 6 to 7 here pretty soon," Jane said. "But seriously, you're the one that does most of the talking and teaching with Steve. You're the one that came up with 'Captain Movie Night' ... and Taco Tuesdays for that matter. You're creative, and you know everything about so much random shit that it's scary. You could probably go on _Jeopardy_ with all the useless information in that brain of yours. And it's not just me … I'm pretty sure that Steve has sung your praises as well."

"Great. I get Captain America to watch _Captain Phillips_, _Captain Corelli's Mandolin_ and _Captain Ron_ … and I get roped into babysitting the biggest brat in the known universe."

"Don't forget the night that you made him watch all the movies with Captain Hook in them. That was fun … though I don't think I want to look at another bottle of rum for the rest of my life."

"Well, I'm cutting him off … I was going to continue with the new "war" theme, but _WarGames_ was the last one for him. It's chick flicks from here on out," Darcy said with a huff. "Boy Scout ratted me out."

"Darcy … you know it wasn't like that. Steve appreciates you, and he probably thought he was doing you a favor by telling Fury how awesome you are."

"Well, I guess no good deed goes unpunished," Darcy said, then finished off her margarita.

"Just … when you meet Loki, try not to let your mouth run too much," Jane warned.

"Me? My mouth run? Why would you ever accuse me of that?" Darcy asked in mock surprise.

"It's just … I think it might be best to take a different approach with him. From what Thor said, Loki is used to people treating him a certain way, and he's got a million insults that he's ready to fire off at any given time. He's got a sharp wit. He can say some pretty mean things, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Are you trying to say that I'm sensitive?"

"In certain circumstances … yes."

Darcy sighed. _Maybe_.

"Just don't call him the biggest brat in the universe, okay? Believe me, I don't give a _damn_ about his poor feelings … I just don't want him getting you upset."

Darcy shrugged. "I'll try … but he _is_ a brat. I mean, trying to enslave an entire planet because your big brother is the golden boy of the family? Big deal … I'd hate to see it if he had step-siblings and step-parents, half-siblings and holidays where you have to go to four different houses, and eat four different Thanksgiving dinners … you just end up so stuffed at the end of the night, but it's not like you can refuse your grandmother's turkey. It would be rude."

Jane looked at her. "I think you just gave me mind-whiplash, Darcy."

"Well, if I'm going to do this, I'm going to have to come up with a theme for a different movie night. How about some of Loki's favorite subjects? Movies about slavery and genocide? We can start out with _Roots_ followed by _Roots: The Next Generations_ and _Roots: The Gift_, also known as 'Christmas Roots'. Then we'll move on to _Schindler's List_ and _12 Year's a Slave_."

"Maybe that's something you should lead up to. Besides, I went to see _12 Year's A Slave_ with you, and you were a mess. You don't think that sitting through tear-jerkers with Loki might be a little awkward?"

"Good point. Maybe we'll start out with _Reindeer Games? _Though it's a pretty shitty movie. But it's too early for _Prancer_ and _Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer_.

"Funny, Darcy." Jane shook her head. "Very funny."


	4. Chapter 4

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Work the next morning was torturous. After dishing about Darcy's new S.H.I.E.L.D.-assignment from hell, the girls decided to partake in shots consisting of tequila and pineapple juice, while watching some of _The Vampire Diaries_ episodes that had been building up in the DVR. They had decided to take a drink every time Damon Salvatore did his weird eye-flashy-thing, but figured that if they kept doing it, they'd both end up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning.

As Darcy approached her desk, she noticed that someone had put a hefty file on top of it. She plopped down and flipped through it, reading about everything a "Midgardian" would ever want to know about one Loki Odinson, a.k.a. Laufeyson, his known origin, and what was myth versus what was true. There was also a whole section on what was just speculation. While looking in the "myth" category, she read that Loki was supposedly father to a giant snake, a wolf, and an 8-legged horse named Sleipnir. Further reading about the horse had her hysterically laughing at her desk, turning a few nearby heads to see what was so funny. The heads saw it was just Darcy and paid no mind. She was always in her own little world.

After calming down from her laughing fit, Darcy realized she might have still been a little drunk, as she was strangely enjoying this. Apparently, Loki was born on a planet called Jotunheim, land of "Frost Giants" ... and even though over the past few years she'd witnessed some crazy shit, like giant fire-breathing robots and elves with Michael Myers masks … something just sounded so unbelievable about Frost Giants. Was it a planet full of abominable snowmen? Were they like Wampas from planet Hoth? The file also mentioned that Loki could supposedly turn blue, though no human had ever witnessed it. _Fascinating_.

"Well this is a strange sight," said a familiar voice. Darcy looked up to see Steve Rogers approaching her desk.

"Oh, hey! Yeah," she said pointing to her aviator shades that she was wearing. "Taco Tuesdays. Waiting for the Advil to kick in."

"Rum?"

"Tequila. Rum doesn't go with tacos, silly."

"Noted. So what's got you laughing so hard?" Steve asked.

"This file on Loki." She clapped it shut. "Apparently he fucked a horse while in the guise of a mare, got pregnant, and birthed an 8-legged pony … I mean, who makes this shit up?"

Steve gave a little laugh and only slightly furrowed his brow, still not used to a woman saying dirty words, but at least he seemed to be coming to terms with it.

Darcy then remembered that she was slightly perturbed with him. "Hey, Cap! THANKS FOR TELLING FURY THAT I WAS HELPING YOU OUT, by the way. I just got my very first assignment thanks to you. God-sitting!"

"Yeah," he said looking sheepish. "Sorry about that ... but you are a big help, and sometimes our assignments aren't exactly what we want them to be. But it is our duty."

_Man, he really knew how to kill a mood sometimes_, Darcy thought. _Death by patriotism._

This was why she never thought of him in a romantic sense, even though he was fucking gorgeous. Too wholesome. She liked dudes that she could see getting down and dirty, like Clint. She didn't think Steve had ever been down _or_ dirty.

"Of course." She felt slightly chastised, though he didn't mean it that way. "I know. I promise, I'm taking it seriously. You have to start somewhere, right?"

Steve nodded and smiled. "I was hoping that you'd let me sit in with you and Loki sometimes. I still have a lot to learn, and I can keep an eye out for you."

"Sure! I'm just a little shocked that any of you feel like I'm some sort of teacher, or oracle of modern American culture. I just have a Netflix account and read a lot of blogs."

He shook his head. "You're downplaying yourself Darcy. I've seen all the rows and rows of books in your apartment. It would be one thing if they were just for show, but you've read all of them. Including the text books."

"Yeah … well, growing up, I had a scientist for a mom and a lawyer for a dad ... the hard stuff was always laying around. I thought maybe I could have something in common with them if I read about serious things, but in the end, J.K. Rowling and George R.R. Martin won out."

"Well, you've been a big help, and I enjoy my time with you ... and Jane," Steve said reverently. He cleared his throat.

"But to more official matters," Cap changed the subject. "Agent Coulson would like to see you. It seems as though you're getting moved ... a new office and security clearance. Congratulations! Welcome to level 7." He held out his hand to shake hers.

"Wow! Ummm … that's unexpected."

_A new office? What the hell …_

Ten minutes later, she was standing in Coulson's office, mystified, wondering what on Earth she did to warrant such a promotion. She was given a fancier badge, an expense account, and her hand-print was scanned in order to be put into the system. She could now take the elevator to the upper levels which housed her new office, though it wasn't much of an office … more like a big closet. But even though it was small, she was still excited ... sure that she could turn it into a cozy sanctuary in no time. The best thing was the window, which made up the whole back wall, and it had a great view of the city. This was what all the movies and T.V. shows said made you a success in New York City ... a big window.

She just wasn't sure that all of this was necessary … couldn't she god-sit from her desk downstairs in the open floor-plan?

Darcy decided to tuck all the doubts away for the time being, and instead wondered about what in the hell her approach would be. Jane had mentioned that Loki was used to people treating him a certain way. She guessed that meant people were assholes to him. He most certainly deserved to be treated as such, but that just meant lowering oneself to his level. That was unacceptable.

She decided to take some advice from dear Oscar Wilde ... "_Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much_."

And from Kurt Vonnegut ... "_There's only one rule that I know of, babies—'God damn it, you've got to be kind_.'"

Killing him with kindness would be her approach. It would be so unexpected, and hopefully seriously disorienting for him. She also figured that her method would even be Captain America-approved! She tapped her fingers together like Mr. Burns from _The Simpsons_.

Just as she was testing out her new insanely comfortable office chair by bouncing up and down in it, Steve appeared again to usher her into yet another room.

He knocked on the door frame. "Ready to get started? You're needed in the conference room to meet your new assignment."

"Assignment? You mean homicidal nutbar?"

"I think the technical term is psychotic crazypants."

She gasped, feigning shock. "Oh my God, Steve … a joke! You made a joke! My baby's all grownsed up!"

She stood and smoothed out her black a-line dress. She liked it because it looked a bit retro, and was simultaneously flattering and comfortable ... two things she insisted clothing to be.

Steve noticed that the wrinkles she was smoothing out were imaginary. "Come on, it'll be okay."

Darcy was led into a narrow hallway that opened into a boardroom. It had nice soft lighting and more insanely comfortable office chairs. The upgrade on this floor was really quite palpable. Everyone was already sitting down at the big long table, which made her feel awkward. Fury was at the far end with Thor, Clint, and Natasha Romanov. A few chairs down was Loki, in the flesh, giving himself some space from the others. He was sitting with his arms folded across his chest, chair angled so that he was looking more towards the wall than at anyone else. His hair was a little longer than it had looked in the pictures from the report she'd just read ... though it looked softer ... less severe and slicked back.

Steve walked her into the room, his hand protectively placed at the small of her back, like a Victorian gentleman. "This is Darcy Lewis, Loki. She'll be helping you out." He pulled out a chair for her next to Natasha, and across from her new Asgardian project. He then went to sit by Loki, probably for security sake. Loki, she noted, did not look up or turn to acknowledge her at all, or anyone for that matter.

Darcy gave a little wave. "Hey guys. Welcome back Thor ... nice to meet you Loki," she said quickly. "I see they've done a good job at giving you some Midgardian threads." They had in fact, not given them any clothes. Both of them were still in their Asgardian armor, which to her seemed extremely uncomfortable, but both Thor and Loki seemed like they were born in it.

Thor was at least courteous enough to give her a nod and a smile, but it quickly faded. Darcy noticed that he seemed depressed ... beaten down. She'd seen him be many things, but never depressed. It made her want to wrap him up in a pink blanket, bring him hot cocoa, and tell him that everything was going to be okay.

Jane then hurried in and sat on the other side of her. "Sorry I'm late guys, bit of drama in the lab." The fact that Miss Perfect was late made Darcy feel a little less awkward, but then she felt bad for thinking that ... because Thor's girlfriend's appearance didn't seem to perk him up in the least.

Darcy then stole a closer look at Clint, who was looking grim ... but that wasn't unusual. He was also looking damn hot, but that was the same old story for her. She then looked over to her "superior officer" and mentor, Natasha, who was so cool and beautiful … and lethal. She was also Hawkeye's match. Darcy wished they would just admit to it, so she could once and for all put Clint in the "taken" corner, and then she could stop obsessing over him.

"Okay, let's get started," Fury said, seeming even more pissed off than usual. He stood. "If you two Asgardians are going to be staying in our country indefinitely, then you're going to need to blend in better than you did during your previous stints on Earth. Hidden in plain sight. We don't need you waving some kind of interdimensional flag for any nefarious entity out there to see. To help you out with that, Thor, you will have Jane. The two of you are familiar with each other, and you'll need less guidance anyway. Just don't let whatever it is you two have going on, interfere with your work. Do you understand?" He looked at both of them and made sure they nodded in reply.

Fury went on addressing Thor. "And as a member of The Avengers Initiative, who has sworn to protect Earth, we feel that you have a pretty firm grasp on the need to be cautious and subtle. We don't need other realms knowing that you've been exiled yet again, for Godsake. If we need your assistance on any matters or incidents, hopefully it can be done without the bright red cape, if you catch my drift." Thor then went from depressed to looking like someone kicked his dog at the thought of going to battle without his beloved red cape.

"Now, Loki." Fury received no reaction. "_You_ are entirely different. Given that your interactions on Earth consist of being worshipped by primitive Vikings a thousand years ago, leveling a peaceful town in New Mexico two years ago, and going on a temper-tantrum mission for world domination ... it's safe to say that your knowledge on how to assimilate is limited. Miss Lewis will help you with that, as she has helped Steve here become more comfortable with his modern surroundings. _Do not_ make me regret putting you in her care."

"As Thor promised, your official imprisonment ended with your help in defeating the Dark Elves, and we will help him to honor that ... but S.H.I.E.L.D. is not about to let you go creating havoc out there on your own. Once we see that you are cooperating with the process, you can leave headquarters ... but we will be monitoring you. If you choose to lend your services here at S.H.I.E.L.D., either by using your expertise to help Dr. Foster in her lab, or Dr. Banner with his work, you can then keep an apartment in Stark Tower like some of our agents do. We hope that you take us up on our offer, as it's pretty much the only one you're going to get that doesn't involve waterboarding and being someone's bitch at Guantanamo Bay. Hopefully it won't be too long until Odin decides to take you out of time-out, and you can go back to sulking in a corner somewhere on Asgard."

"Does all of this sound agreeable?"

Fury was still ignored.

"DOES. ALL. OF. THIS. SOUND. AGREEABLE?"

_Fuuuuuuuuuuuck, he could be scary_, Darcy thought.

"I don't see that I have much of a choice, do I?" Loki said, still looking at no one. His voice, Darcy noted, was surprisingly deep and velvety. _Weird_.

"Good." Fury seemed satisfied.

"Darcy." He looked over to her, in order to dole out some more instructions, she figured ... but he just stared at her with his head cocked to the side. "Miss Lewis, is there a reason why you're wearing sunglasses to this meeting?"

_Oh shit, I forgot to take off my aviators ... no wonder the lighting was so nice._

She yanked them off. "Sorry! I forgot to take my contact lenses out last night before bed, and my eyes are sensitive."

This was actually partially true. She liked to take her glasses off after work and put her contacts in for social situations ... but she really should think twice about that when tequila was involved. At this revelation, Darcy's surly assignment actually decided to turn and look at her through narrowed eyes. It made her want to put her shades back on. He was already freaking her out.

"Anyway," Fury went on. "Steve will be joining in with you at times, as he requested … and Natasha and Clint will also be checking in regularly, to monitor Loki's progress. You can give your reports to them, and they'll consult with me." He then stared down the Asgardians. "Hopefully this will be a smooth transition ... and we won't have to hold anymore meetings to figure out what the hell to do with you."

Darcy raised her eyebrows and had to hide a grin with her hand. Fury had been talking to these otherworldly "princes" like they were naughty middle-school students, and they had to just sit there and take it. This was kind of hilarious.

"And now I leave you to get better acquainted as I have to get back to more pressing matters." And with that Fury was out the doorway.

Jane then swept Thor away to talk in a corner, and Steve got up to discuss something with Natasha and Clint … leaving Darcy to try and make small talk with His Royal Hostileness. She looked at him for a few seconds before she could think of anything to say. She was so nervous that her mind went blank, which rarely happened. Loki just sat there with his eyes averted. This was beyond awkward.

"Okay," she started, noting his attire. "I guess first we should go and get you some new clothes." He couldn't wear that armor everyday, it had to be uncomfortable. Not to mention, how do you launder that stuff?

He looked up at her, annoyed, peering through preternatural blue-green eyes. "I cannot leave this building," he said, managing to fill just that one sentence with enough disgust for her, that she wanted to go to her office, shut the door, and hide under her desk.

Darcy refused to let him intimidate her like this.

"Oh," she said, trying to channel Oscar and Kurt's wisdom. "Right. Well, I guess I'll go get you some then. Do you know what your size is?"

He just gave her an icy stare in response.

_Yep. This was going swimmingly!_

"Can you stand up please? I'll have to guess." She sat back, trying to gauge what sizes to get.

To her surprise, he actually grudgingly obliged. As he stood, she saw that he was quite tall and lean, with an otherworldly grace that came through in just a simple movement like getting up from a chair. She let that thought fade away as she figured he looked to be about as tall as Ian. So about 6'2 or 6'3. Loki seemed as if he liked wearing things a bit form-fitting, so she'd opt for getting him "smediums", as she called the shirts hipsters liked to wear. Tight with a hint of room. She was thinking that maybe he was a Banana Republic sort of guy, instead of Old Navy or Hollister. She had no idea how to shop for pants for him though, having never personally dressed any of the men in her life, and she was afraid to ask him for any sort of cooperation.

The moment was then interrupted by her phone going off with the custom ringtone of "Cold Hard Bitch" by Jet. Her mom was calling her. She stared at the phone for a second as it dawned on her that for the first time in years, she was actually glad her mother was calling.

"Scuse me, I'm going to take this out in the hall. Be right back." Loki then sat back down and closed his eyes, like it hurt to be there.

She flew out the doorway and swiped her phone as she turned the corner.

"Mom?" Her mother didn't call very often, so Darcy was slightly worried that she was about to hear some bad news.

"Hey sweetie!" Darcy winced at her mother's instant fake cheeriness. The familiar unease she felt in her mother's presence, prickled at her neck. She actually might have been more comfortable back in the boardroom with Loki.

"What's going on?"

"I just wanted to call and tell you that I'll be traveling to New York soon for a conference!" Her mom sounded like she was in a car, an alarm going off for a door being ajar. "Just hoping that we could do lunch or dinner? Perhaps you could show me your office or your new apartment? Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Sure, mom, that would be great." Darcy figured her mother might actually enjoy seeing her new office and might even be impressed by her new digs. Living in Stark Tower was pretty prestigious, and her mother loved things that were prestigious. "I'll make a reservation at a cool restaurant, just text me the dates."

"Great! It will be so good to see you! Gotta run, sweetie, on my way to a meeting. Call you later." And with that her mother hung up.

Darcy stared at her phone for a few moments like she usually did after her mother called. Her mom's attention was never in the same place as she was ... her mind always a step ahead of her body. It gave Darcy whiplash. She had actually made a pact not to answer her phone calls anymore, but could never bring herself to ignore them. She kept hoping that one day, her mom would decide to be a real person on the other end. That day was not today.

Needing to indulge in one of her vices, Darcy stopped at the coffee station down the hall. While there, she decided to pick up a cup for Loki too … might as well induct him into the Midgardian ways of heavenly java. As she walked back to the others, she could hear Loki actually stringing together words into more than one sentence.

When she got just outside the doorway, she heard ... "the utter ridiculousness of this situation boggles the mind." Loki was seething. "I don't see why I need to be looked after by some peasant girl in order to keep my idle hands out of trouble. It's ludicrous. She's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent only because she knows too much and the fools that run this inept organization do not know what else to do with her. _Promoted_ only because no one below a certain level can know my real name. It's insulting that you are subjecting me to this as a prince of Asgard. She's _nothing special_."

_Nothing special_. Darcy froze into place, holding her two cups of coffee, heat flaring up around her face as his words stung at her insides. She was just outside the door and they couldn't see her yet.

Steve, God bless him, chimed in. "You're wrong, Loki. She's much more than meets the eye. Very intelligent, and a hell of a lot of fun. She's helped me out tremendously." Darcy could hear the Asgardian give a short mocking laugh in response.

As she stood there, she realized that Steve was the only one who bothered to stand up for her, and he was probably only doing it because he was contractually obligated to, being Mr. Wholesome McBoyScout and all.

_Channeling Oscar and Kurt. Channeling Oscar and Kurt._

_Nothing special_. Darcy closed her eyes for a few seconds to gather her wits and strength, straightened her shoulders, and just walked into the room like she didn't hear a thing. She plastered a smile on her face, just like she learned from childhood. Darcy had been determined to be a real person years ago, unlike her mom, but she was taught how to put on a mask from the best.

"Sorry about that guys, I had to take a call from my mom." She looked over at Loki and smiled at him. He actually had the tact to look vaguely guilty about what he'd said, hoping that she hadn't heard him.

She decided not to leave him with any doubt.

"Loki, I got you a cup of coffee. It's pretty amazing stuff. Not sure how you like it, but I gave you cream and three sugars since you're probably a beginner." She looked over at his brother, who looked horrified. "Thor actually smashed a cup after drinking some, he liked it so much … but this is made out of paper, so don't do that. It won't have the same effect."

"Here." She walked over to his side of the table and set it in front of him. He looked up at her timidly, a stark difference from the scorn he had previously been emanating throughout the meeting.

Darcy continued, her smile getting weaker, her mask starting to break.

_Not yet, not yet._

"It's just office brew though, not like Starbucks or Stumptown … it's _nothing special_."

She walked back to her side of the table, picked up her aviators, and put them back on just in time to hide the tears welling up in her eyes. She then hurried out the doorway, knowing that no one in the building took her seriously. This was all just a big joke.

_Fuck them all._


	5. Chapter 5

XXX

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

Darcy had left the building quickly to avoid anyone following her. She had a mission to uphold after all, and she needed to get started.

From Loki's file, every single picture and old drawing depicted him wearing green. Well, if the dude loved green so damn much, she was going to do everything in her power to please him with the clothes that she picked out.

On her brand new expense account, she took cabs everywhere. First, she went to a souvenir shop in Midtown that she'd called to make sure they carried what she wanted … several green T-shirts that said variants of St. Patrick's Day-like phrases such as "Kiss Me I'm Irish" or "Kiss Me I'm Desperate" … and she also threw in one that said "Fuck Me I'm Drunk" for good measure. If he wanted to dress like it was March 17th everyday, then he needed the proper threads.

Next, she went to a geek shop and picked up a few choice items, among them a Yoda shirt and a very cute Kermit the Frog shirt that said "It's Not Easy Being Green", naturally. Loki should love that one considering that no one understood the poor sad bastard.

After that, she headed to a sporting goods store, where she picked up gear from various sports teams where green was their primary color. Celtics, Jets, Oakland A's, and of course, the Green Bay Packers. She figured that all the stuff with Clay Matthew's number on it would be fitting since he looked like a big strapping viking warrior, not unlike Thor himself. She swiped the company card and bought him every manner of jersey, t-shirt, shorts, track pants, pajamas, socks … right down to some Green Bay Packers boxer shorts with their big "G" logo across the crotch.

Next was the shoe store where she picked up green pumas, nikes, adidas, and converse in a few different sizes, not sure which ones he'd prefer, and not caring how much she was spending … then made sure to find a few shiny green belts, an assortment of green hats (fedora, ball cap, beanie, etc.), and hipster sunglasses with neon green frames.

After she was done shopping for the day, she had the cab wait outside of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters while she took all the packages inside, wrote a quick note, pinned it to one of his new t-shirts, and left everything with the people at the front desk (who took her much more seriously with her new 'level 7' employee badge). She gave them express instructions to bring them up to "Luke Owens", Loki's very creative new alias, ASAP.

Before anyone could be alerted that she had returned, she hurried out the main doors, hopped back into the cab, and was dropped off at the nearest movie theater. She didn't want to go home. Jane, and probably Thor, would inevitably be knocking on her door.

Her friend (the one who hadn't defended her to His Princely Prick-ness), had been blowing up her phone with text messages ... and so had Steve, who almost never used his new iPhone. Darcy decided to put their minds at ease by replying to them both, "_No worries, out shopping for Loki EMOdinson_."

At the theater, she picked out something mindless. No tear-jerkers tonight, nothing epic or poignant or Oscar-worthy. She just wanted to laugh and take a break from life for a few hours. Since it was October, they were running special "monster movies" every day to get into the spirit of Halloween, and tonight they happened to be featuring _Zombieland_. Perfect. Unlike _The Walking Dead_, the movie had clear monsters—the zombies. No blurred lines.

She got a big blue icee and a package of peanut butter M&amp;M's, because she always lived by _Zombieland Rule No. 32_ ... "enjoy the little things".

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

"Darcy Lewis, my new favorite person."

She looked up from the breakfast she was having the next morning in the breakroom at S.H.I.E.L.D., although she thought it was hilarious to call what looked like a space-age kitchen that belonged on the Starship Enterprise, a breakroom. Her eyes grew large as she saw that Tony Stark was standing over her, with a wicked grin on his face.

Darcy nearly choked on her poppy seed bagel. "Whoa. Mr. Stark?" She had only interacted with him in meetings, where very technical questions were asked and only one-word answers were needed. It was like having George Clooney acknowledge your existence. Didn't he only talk to A-list cool people, geniuses, and Victoria's Secret models?

"Just call me Tony. Please." He winked. "Though after that trick you pulled on the so-called God of Mischief up there, you can call me anything. Seems like he's got nothing on you."

Darcy gave a little laugh. She had been thinking twice all morning about her little "trick", and was beginning to regret it now that she had to go face Loki again.

"I didn't pull a trick on him."

"Sure," Stark said as he sat down opposite her. "That note on top of the 'My Little Pony' shirt that said 'I heard you really loved horses, XOXO Darcy', wasn't written by you?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't so much of a 'trick'. More like a 'fuck you'," she said.

Tony chuckled. "I'll tell you what ... the look on his face when he opened up those boxes, was one of shock and awe. I've never seen him so confused. It was a nice change from the poor-me face he's been wearing since he arrived here. I think I even caught a twinkle in his eye when it dawned on him that he'd been messed with."

"You were there?"

"Oh yeah. Me and Bruce never laughed so hard. We were in his temporary quarters, talking to him about his new job."

"Temporary quarters? Oh, you mean his god-proof cell? He can rot in there," she said.

Tony laughed. "Don't mind Prancer. He's just mad that someone took his big stick away again. That's three times now? Gotta sting."

"He seems pretty attached to those big sticks."

Tony looked at her thoughtfully. "Seriously kiddo, like Banner says, that guy's brain is a bag full of cats. Don't let him get to you ... he's a prick to everyone. If you're going to be a big bad S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, you gotta grow a thick skin ... and not just a tight leather cat-suit skin, though you would look amazing in that … but you can't let em shake you up." He sat back and crossed his legs. It surprised her how engaged he was, like he gave a person his whole attention while talking to them. She so respected that.

"Yeah. I think that part you said about me being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is kind of a joke." She was surprised at how easy it was to talk to him.

"Nonsense," he said, not missing a beat. "You've met the 90-year-old virgin cap-sicle? Sulk-eye? Dr. Banner &amp; Mr. Hulking Hyde? We've all got serious issues, kid. Everyone is a joke. You're just one of the only ones with a sense of humor."

She thought about Bruce and how he turned into what Tony called a "rage monster" ... but he was also ridiculously brilliant and kind. Darcy could never think of him as a joke … though he did bring to mind her southern gran with the things he said sometimes.

"Bruce really said that Loki's brain was a bag full of cats? That's adorable." She grinned, shaking her head slightly.

"And by adorable you mean …?"

"That he's a total dork."

"There's my girl," Tony said. And with that statement she beamed, smiling from ear to ear, feeling like someone had just given her a shot of confidence.

"I guess I'm going to have to get serious about this assignment, and get him some clothes that he'd actually like to wear. I'm just not good at that sort of thing, having never bought men's clothing for myself," Darcy mused.

"I can get Pepper to help you. She's good at that stuff."

"Yeah? Holy shit, that would be so awesome. Thanks! For being so nice to me," she said, grateful for the intervention.

"Shhhh." He looked around. "I don't need people around here thinking I'm nice … and it's no problem. I'd do anything for the girl who got Prancer a Green Lantern back-pack."

Tony got up to leave, but before walking out he said, "I'm pretty sure you earned some respect from Mr. Mischief, but you might have also started something."

Darcy frowned. "What you do you mean?"

"Just be glad that he's been stripped of his powers. It'll make things a little more even.

"Huh?" She still didn't understand.

"You can't trick the God of Mischief without expecting some kind of retaliation," he said with a grin and then walked out of the room.

Darcy suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. _Shit. If he wasn't already a monster, I might have just created one._


	6. Chapter 6

XXX

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

The rest of the morning was spent shopping at Barney's with Pepper Potts, which was strangely exhilarating. Darcy had never met someone who was so efficient and commanding, yet so incredibly sweet. She decided that she wanted to be Pepper when she grew up. Apparently, S.H.I.E.L.D. had extremely detailed records of Loki from when he was in town the last time (trying to take over the world), and Pepper was able to gather his exact measurements somehow. They must have done some kind of body scan on him at one point or another, and Darcy was strangely curious to see exactly what that entailed. Did aliens have all the same parts that humans did? Was everything proportional? Did Frost Giants have nipples?

Pepper made sure to pick out a sharp black three-piece suit, as well as other basics that usually filled a man's closet. The last thing they did was pick out a pair of jeans for their resident alien, Darcy insisting that one couldn't try to blend in with American society without denim.

By lunchtime, she was in the elevator going up one floor from hers, to where Loki was being held. She then walked down to his room holding a long garment bag that contained the suit, while pushing a small cart containing boxes that held the rest of his new things. Darcy had asked Pepper why they were sparing no expense on someone who basically amounted to a war criminal, but she explained that it would be imperative for Loki to blend in, plus he would be assisting Dr. Banner with a big project, and that it was fair compensation for his expertise. Apparently the guy was brilliant. Whatever.

Through a long white hallway was a big white desk with two guards seated, typing away at their laptops. She showed them her badge, and was led to the entrance of the Asgardian's temporary quarters. They instructed her to put a hand on the scanner by the door handle, in order to be let in. One of the guards asked if she wanted him to escort her inside, but she declined, sure that they would be listening anyway … why have some dude standing over her shoulder, making her even more nervous?

When she got to Loki's door, she didn't want to just barge in, so she knocked first and then scanned her hand. The door automatically swung open to reveal a fairly large room with more white. White walls, white furniture, and harsh bright white lighting. She wondered if this was normally a room they used to torture people.

Loki immediately stood up from the desk he was sitting at, as she walked into the room. He put the book he was reading down, and she noticed that someone had given him a copy of _Crime and Punishment_ to help him pass the time. Yep. Definitely a torture room. She had tried to start that book at least a dozen times and could never get more than a quarter of the way through.

He was wearing a light-weight green tunic that must have been some kind of undergarment for his armor ... and then to her surprise, he had on a pair of the Green Bay Packers track pants she got him. They were one of the more subtle items of clothing she had bought ... having only a small "G" logo on the back pocket. He must not have known what shoes to pair with his outfit though, as he was barefoot, which seemed strange ... but all in all, he looked comfortable.

Darcy was also comfortable in her black wrap dress that came to about mid-thigh, perfect for nice thick grey tights and knee-high boots. For some reason, after starting to work for S.H.I.E.L.D., she wore a lot more black. It was probably that whole web-design/hacker thing. Pretty soon she'd be driving a Volkswagen.

"I really like what you've done to the place … you really added some color," she said, breaking the silence.

When he just kept standing there, looking blank, she walked over and thrust the garment bag into his arms. "Here's your new suit. I promise, it's legit. Not something a leprechaun would wear." He attempted to give a smile that looked more like a grimace, and walked over to lay it on what must have been his bed, but it was more like a cot.

"You seriously need to get out of here, Loki. This place is depressing." She knew that he probably deserved to be locked up for a hundred years, but something about actually witnessing his confinement made her feel a little sorry for him. He had nothing, not even his own planet, and he had alienated everyone in his life.

"I've seen far worse than this, I assure you." It was the first thing he said to her that wasn't dripping with disdain.

_There was that velvety voice again,_ Darcy thought. It didn't seem like it belonged to him. Like it was the voice of someone who used to be him. Not anymore.

"I'll let you go through this other stuff later," she said, pointing to the boxes on the cart … "it's just the basics. I figured that I'd get you a laptop and show you how to order what you'd like online. I don't think I was meant to be a men's stylist."

He cocked an eyebrow in what appeared to be agreement and said, "would you like to sit down?" He gestured to a chair on the other side of the desk. They both sat and she took her tablet out of her handbag, bending her head to start making notes.

"I'm glad to see that you're able to stand to look at me today," he said, the edge back in his voice.

She looked up to see him peering at her again through narrowed blue-green eyes.

"What are you even talking about?" He wasn't any making sense to her.

"Yesterday. Those dark glasses that Nick Fury made you take off."

She cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Wait. You thought I was wearing sunglasses so I wouldn't have to look at you?" She was mystified.

"I may have lost my powers, but I can still tell when a person is lying ... and your answer to the question Nick Fury asked you, was a lie," he spat.

"Ummm, I wasn't lying. I _didn't_ take my contacts out."

"Whatever that means, it wasn't the answer to the question you were asked."

She was so taken aback by the revelation that he thought she was intentionally slighting him yesterday, that she began to laugh, which he did not look happy about.

The guy really was completely clueless. "Oh, honey," she said. "You really do need help. Listen. There are two reasons why a lady might be wearing sunglasses indoors. Either she's been crying, or she's hung over. I was the latter. And I wasn't about to reveal that to my boss. Am I telling the truth now?"

He didn't say anything, just squinted his eyes.

"And contrary to popular belief, not everything is about you." She shook her head. "_Lord_."

"You were drinking the night before? Was this in celebration of your new position, or were you consoling yourself," he accused, more bitterness.

Her eyes widened. "Oh my god. It's like you're _looking_ for reasons to get offended. Me and Jane were drinking tequila because it was a Tuesday. Taco Tuesdays. Same thing we do every week. Same thing we've done since before we even heard of you … except for those couple of weeks in London when we substituted Jaeger, but that was a horrible idea. Never again."

He squinted his eyes again … was this some kind of Asgardian lie detector test?

"Do I need to tell you what I do with my Thursdays now? Or will that explanation suffice?" She was at a loss.

He appeared to bite the inside of his lip and his eyes softened. He couldn't find anymore reasons to be a colossal dick to her.

"Darcy Lewis." Loki and Thor's habit of calling everyone by both their first and last name all the time, was going to get on her nerves real quick.

"Loki Odinson."

"Yesterday. I was not expecting kindness."

"Is that … an apology?"

"I may have been overly harsh," said the "God of Lies".

"Whatever you say. Can we move on?" Darcy didn't want to think about his "overly harsh" words. He had said them with such malice in his voice, that it was hard to believe he didn't mean them, at least on some level.

He inclined his head in agreement to move on.

She changed the subject to something neutral, unemotional. "Do you wear sunglasses on Asgard?" Darcy didn't know what she would do in a world without shades. She had about twenty pairs and loved them all.

"No. Our eyes are not sensitive to light like yours are."

"You're really missing out. They're a great accessory. Seems like you have to overcompensate for not having good accessories with those pointy helmets."

He cracked half a smile.

_Oh my gawd. Half a smile._

"Alright," she said, getting to business. "I've been tasked to help you assimilate. The faster you can do that, the faster you can get out of this white-as-fuck room. I promise, Stark Tower is much nicer than this, and it has free wi-fi. Is that something you want?"

He shrugged.

"Ooookay. So let me ask you first, what would you like me to help you with?"

"I want my powers back," he said immediately, not thinking she could actually do anything about the situation in a million years.

"Okay. I'll work on that. If you're worthy. What else?"

"You're only serious about half the time, aren't you." He looked slightly amused.

"I don't know what you're talking about. What else?"

He thought for a few seconds. "I've been wondering how some Midgardians are so large, when they eat tasteless food out of tiny boxes." He got up to walk to the other side of the room where a small refrigerator stood with a tiny microwave on top. He opened the freezer section to reveal several Lean Cuisines.

Darcy laughed. "Someone gave you Lean Cuisines. Yep. They torture people in here." And they thought _she_ had pulled a trick on him. "I'll make sure to get you a nice dinner before I leave for the night. Please don't judge our planet's culinary skills based on frozen dinners. Those are mainly just for lunch when you've got a week to fit into a new dress. They're not for growing lads."

She wondered what on Earth he'd actually like to eat. Chinese? Indian? They didn't exactly have any Asgardian restaurants around here.

"What kinds of things do you eat on Asgard?"

"Feasts." He shrugged.

She shook her head. Whatever, he was getting Taco Bell. "Anything else you'd like?"

"Yes." He walked over to a cabinet by the bed/cot and opened one of the drawers. It contained some of the t-shirts she bought him, meticulously folded into perfect squares. He picked up the first one and shook it out.

"Who is this little man?" He asked.

"That's Yoda. He's a Jedi master. Origins unknown." _Ha! Did he assume Yoda was real?_

"Jedi?"

"Yes. The Jedi use the light side of The Force for their powers. The Sith use the dark side. You'd love the movies that Yoda is from. They take place in space. Do you want to watch them? If you're going to be in America, you have to watch movies. Might as well start with _Star Wars_. It's legendary ... it's influence is everywhere."

He shrugged.

"You know, if we're gonna hang out, you're going to have to stop that shrugging thing. It's really getting on my nerves. Also? We don't usually call people by their whole names here after we've been introduced, so just call me Darcy." She got up to leave. "I'll be back before I leave for the day … I have to finish my weekly report for Coulson."

He shrugged.

She shook her head and got up.

"By the way, if you don't know what shoes to wear, you can never go wrong with Converse," she said as she walked out the door.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Loki watched Darcy Lewis leave. Or "just Darcy", as she requested. She was certainly a peculiar creature and he couldn't get a read on her, which rarely happened. The girl could have gotten hostile after what he'd said the day before, like anyone else would, but she didn't. Instead she played a game, got even. It was the kind of thing he used to do, once upon a time and long ago, when life had its more pleasant moments.

He thought about the Midgardian drink she'd given him. She couldn't have known what bringing it to him, at the exclusion of all the others in the boardroom, would have meant to an Asgardian. It was a gesture of the highest respect to sincerely serve him in such a manner, and it had disarmed him ... though it was just a simple cup of coffee in a flimsy container. Even before his fall from grace, no one did such things for him, and even if it was accidental on her part, he still felt pangs of guilt that she did it after hearing the horrible things he'd said.

Being forced to be around these mortals who had conquered him, was just another indignity on top of months of them. Years, really. And he figured that she was treating him like all the others did. With disgust. Like a burden. Like a monster.

But his assumptions had been strangely wrong. She was innocent.

He shook his head. He couldn't feel guilt for a human. This was unacceptable. He needed to get a grip on himself.

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

_AN: My inspiration for the Loki in this fic comes from all three movies he appears in, the MCU comics, and the deleted scenes. I understand why the deleted scenes didn't make the cut, as they painted him in a more sympathetic light, but damn ... they were good. _

_Thanks for reading!_


	7. Chapter 7

XXX

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

While back in her office, Darcy set her mind to finishing up her report, but waited as long as she could before doing what she'd been putting off for a few days—calling Ian. It would be evening-time in London, but he hadn't gotten back to her yet by email, and his was the last bit of intelligence she needed.

She dialed him up and he answered immediately. "Cheers Darcy ... sorry, I know I'm late."

She loved it when he said "cheers". She sighed, missing him ... and promptly squashed it down. "What's taking so long, Ian?"

"Right. Well, things are a bit crazed around here at the moment ... they've got me working on a pretty big project, which is great and all ... but I still feel pretty new to this." Darcy could hear him moving papers around ... he sounded pretty stressed out.

"Anyway. There were just a few more things I needed to check out before I sent you what I found ... em, it seems as though there's been some strange coincidences going on with a few of our prisoners," Ian said.

After the evil space-elf incident, both Darcy and Ian had been offered jobs with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the British intelligence agency, MI6 ... she for her computer skills, and Ian for his brilliant mind for stats ... and because, of course, both of them knew way too much to be civilians any longer, and it was damn lucky that they proved to be useful somehow.

Darcy had decided to go back to The States while Ian remained in London, figuring they could help each other out by having an "in" at the friendly espionage agency across the pond.

"What's going on with the prisoners?"

"They've been acting strange."

"And that's news? Don't they always act strange?"

"It's news because none of them seem to be linked in any way except with how they've been acting." He paused, shuffling through more papers.

"Aaaand how have they been acting?" Darcy rolled her eyes. Sometimes talking to him was like pulling teeth.

"It's almost like they've been meditating, going into a trance. I've been looking up reports from where Britain's most 'colorful', shall we say, prisoners are incarcerated, and they're not raising any eyebrows because they're not doing anything wrong necessarily ... they're just acting a bit weird. Thing is, these aren't the kind of blokes who normally take yoga classes or try to find enlightenment."

"Colorful prisoners?"

"The kind that don't end up in the papers."

"What do you mean? Remember who you're talking to here," Darcy said, chewing on a pen.

"You know, the ones that The Doctor usually has to take care of," he joked.

"Gotcha." This is why they were still friends ... they spoke the same language—"nerd". "What's MI6 doing about it?"

"They don't seem to think it's a problem … yet. Mainly because, like I said, the inmates aren't doing anything bad … they're actually being a lot more pleasant than usual. But to me, that's a bit scary."

"So none of them actually know each other, and yet they're all doing this meditation thing?" Darcy wondered.

"Right. That's what was taking me so long … I was trying to figure out any possible connection between any of them, but found none. Nothing tangible."

"Well that's weird. Can you email me what you've got? And I'll check to see if the same thing is going on over here."

"Of course," he said, in that thick London accent of his.

That accent and his tallness were the things about Ian that had made her go weak in the knees. Still did, if she was being honest. She knew they were superficial things, but they had kept her entertained for a fun couple of weeks. But eventually, it turned into an irritating couple of weeks, as he started to annoy the hell out of her. And it wasn't like he was _trying_ to get on her nerves, it was just all the little things that kept adding up ... like his constant fingernail biting and tongue-clicking. The finger tapping. His out-of-tune whistling to songs that she otherwise enjoyed. And his soccer obsession irked the hell out of her ... it prompted Darcy to always call it "soccer" in front of him, instead of "football", just to annoy him.

She understood loving sports, as she had always loved football (the good American kind) ... but Ian took it to aggravating heights. His statistician's mind was constantly working, looking up scores and reading articles on his phone while they were out to lunch or dinner ... and if there was a game on, there was no chance of doing anything else. Ian was either at a pub with his mates or at home, screaming at the television.

She had tried going to the pub with him a few times to see what all the fuss was about, but she couldn't figure out why these guys got so riled up over what she thought was a boring game. All they did was go back and forth … back and forth. Barely scoring. And all the players faked injuries, which she found ridiculous. The only part she enjoyed was the players themselves, who were actually quite nice to look at. There was nothing like a soccer body. American football players were too big and beefy for her tastes, and basketball players were too Lurch-like. Soccer players were just right. Too bad their game was boring.

"Darcy," Ian said, breaking her from the soccer-player daydream.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering … if you'd let me visit. They want to send me over there for business and I've never been to America."

Darcy closed her eyes. She really didn't want him there. It would be weird. She didn't want him getting anymore ideas. On the other hand, it might be nice to see a good friend, as she'd been kind of lonely in New York. She was developing friendships with co-workers, but Jane was the only one she was really close to, and she was a work-a-holic. Darcy's family was spread out across the country, but none of them lived near New York.

"I can't give you permission to come to America. It's a free country, Ian. I might have gotten a promotion, but I still don't have the authority to put you on a no-fly list."

"Right." That was another thing that bothered her, his constant use of the word "right' ... though lots of British boys did that.

After a knock on the door, Jane and Steve came in, giving her a much-welcome excuse to get off the phone.

"Okay, gotta go, Ian! My boss just came in, he needs to talk to me," she said.

"Right. Cheers Darcy, I'll email everything. Talk to you soon."

Jane looked at her with disapproval. "Why did you lie to him like that?"

Darcy rolled her eyes. "I didn't want to hurt his feelings. He'd just asked to come visit, and I didn't want him to think I was ditching him to talk to other, more important friends."

Jane gasped in excitement, "he's coming to visit?"

Darcy shook her head. "If he comes, it won't be for me, it'll be for work. Don't get any ideas in that head of yours."

"I still don't understand what's so bad about him." Jane had always been pro-Ian.

"There's nothing bad about him. It just didn't work out … okay? Now, what's up?" Darcy wanted to stop talking about Ian.

Steve spoke up from where he was lingering in the doorway. "We were just wondering if you wanted to get some early dinner. Catch happy hour?"

"Hmmm … I was supposed to grab dinner for Loki, but I guess I could always send something over to him. Do you think he'd like take-out?"

Jane sighed. "Who cares."

Darcy feigned shock. "Whoa Jane, I thought you were starting to like little bro … trying to convince me that my new assignment might not be so bad after all."

"Let him starve." Jane crossed her arms over her chest.

Darcy laughed. "What's going on, you guys?"

"She's just a little worried about Thor," Steve said. "We can talk about it at dinner. Boqueria at 5?"

"Oooo, tapas! Yes please!" She bounced in her seat.

They made plans to meet in the lobby a little later, then Darcy put the finishing touches on her report, and sent it to Coulson. He immediately messaged her back with a few updates on her alien assignment.

For one, Loki had so far been cooperative, so she was to tell him that as soon as he started dressing like a normal person, he was free to leave his room. He was only allowed on two floors though ... his own, which also housed Dr. Banner's lab, and the one below. He was not to be in any part of the building that anyone below a level 7 had access to.

For two, there were several devices she needed to pick up for him. He was to receive a laptop and phone, and she was to teach him how to use them. Darcy was sure that if S.H.I.E.L.D. was providing his electronics instead of her buying them personally from the Apple store, like she planned ... it meant that they were to be bugged. She hoped that Loki didn't discover internet porn, because that would sure be an embarrassing browser history for S.H.I.E.L.D. to find.

She looked at the clock and realized she didn't have time to visit him before she left, but she did get some food delivered from an organic hippie establishment. They specialized in catering to uppity rich types who jumped on whatever diet fad happened to be popular. The place had a menu dedicated to that whole "paleo" thing, which is what she figured would be the closest thing to a Viking diet she could find in Manhattan. From what Jane had told her, Asgard seemed like some sort of sci-fi Viking world, so she didn't think that the traditional New York delivery of lo-mein would suit Loki's palate.

Darcy worried that he'd get all pissy for not showing up, since he seemed to be on the sensitive side and took every chance he could to get offended, so she wrote him a quick note to be delivered with his food.

_ "You lucked out. I was going to get you Taco Bell, but I took pity on you. Hope this feast is better than frozen low-fat mac &amp; cheese. Had to leave early for a friend in need. Girl Talk. See you in the A.M."_

She didn't know if his ability to detect lies included written ones, so she decided to stick to the truth.

Later at Boqueria, after helping Steve to order tapas (he ordered dessert first), Jane started to make small talk, though Darcy could tell she had bigger things on her mind.

"So what did you end up getting Loki to eat?"

"I got him a few paleo dinners from one of those organic places." Darcy smiled at the server as he dropped off a bottle of cava.

"Why go to so much trouble? He's got food."

"Jane. He's got a freezer full of Lean Cuisines. He thinks that's what we eat. I can't have that."

"Sure you can." Jane scowled.

"Nope. He suffers from some kind of delusion that Asgard is the end-all-be-all and that everything down here on Earth is sub-par. I'm planning on shattering that delusion, starting with the food."

Steve laughed and said, "I like this plan. What's his first movie night going to be? I know you've already got something in mind."

"Yeah. I was thinking 'genocide' or 'slavery', but Jane talked me out of it. Nothing too heavy. Now I'm thinking 'alien invasion'. We'll show him where he went wrong."

Jane laughed. "He went wrong because he underestimated the Avengers," she said, nodding at Steve.

"Sure," Darcy replied. "But if he would have watched _Independence Day_ before he tried to take over the world, Loki would have understood that rule number one for an alien invasion, is to never underestimate the power of the human spirit." She took her first sip of cava. "Plus, I just really want to see the look on his face when Will Smith is all like, 'WELCOME TO EARF!'"

Jane looked excited. "Oh, I have to be there for that! What else?"

"I was thinking _War of the Worlds_, _Signs_, maybe _Predator_ … or _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_." Darcy nodded at the server as he brought their first round of tapas.

"_War of the Worlds_! I actually know that one! I listened to the radio show. That was really something." Steve was excited to recognize something for once.

"They remade it a few years ago," Darcy said. "It has Tom Cruise in it, and I remember it actually being kinda scary. It was like, psychological and stuff."

"When's this gonna happen? We've got be there," Steve said, somewhat giddy. He had become quite the movie buff.

"I've got my report done and not much on my itinerary till next week. Fury wasn't kidding when he said he'd lighten my work load. Maybe tomorrow? I don't know. As soon as I can get a TV and Blu Ray player in Loki's room. And maybe a few comfortable chairs. It would be better if he could leave the building, but I don't see that happening for awhile."

Steve shook his head. "He's going to have to prove himself to Banner and Stark before Fury will think about letting him have his own place, and to be free to walk around."

"How are they gonna keep track of him after he's allowed to leave?" Darcy wondered.

"Ankle monitor. And if he does something he's not supposed to, it's the kind of monitor that will shock you," Steve said, finally trying his cava.

"Oooo, like a taser?" Darcy's eyes lit up.

"Exactly."

"Darcy loves tasers," Jane said, looking thoughtful. She'd had a whole glass of cava at this point and was ready to spill about what was on her mind. "Darcy, I owe you an apology. I know I should have punched Loki in the face—again—for what he said in that meeting. I was just so shocked by the way Thor was acting, that I couldn't concentrate on anything else."

"Thanks, but it's cool." Darcy really didn't want to be reminded of it.

"If it makes you feel any better, Thor practically pummeled him, saying he didn't deserve an offering of cups, or whatever. It took all of Steve and Clint's strength to restrain him," Jane said.

"Offering of cups? What the hell is that?" Darcy asked.

Jane and Steve looked at each other and shrugged. "Must be some Asgardian thing," Jane said.

"_Shit_. I hope that giving a dude a cup of coffee on Asgard doesn't mean you're proposing marriage ... or propositioning him. Ew." Darcy waved the thought away. "Whatever. Alright guys, moving on. I'd rather forget about it, if you don't mind." The disaster of a meeting had brought up a lot of Darcy's insecurities, and she didn't want to think about it anymore. "So what's up with Thor?"

Jane took a rather large sip of cava. "He's just not himself. I think he's torn between being elated that Loki is alive, and being furious that he didn't let his brother in on the fact that he didn't actually, you know, _die_ in Thor's arms. On top of that, he's still mourning his mother, and now his father is all pissed off at him, banishing him again ... which doesn't make a whole lot of sense, especially since he like, saved the entire universe and all. He thinks Odin is just acting that way since he's crazy with grief himself, but he won't let anyone near to help him. Thor feels helpless here."

"That's understandable," Darcy said. "But why are you so mad at Loki? Wanting to torture him with Lean Cuisines? I mean, besides the normal reasons."

Jane fiddled with her goat cheese croquettes. "I think he's convinced Thor that dating a mortal will only lead to more heartbreak for him. He keeps saying that our human lives are like heartbeats." She began to get a little hysterical, almost spilling her drink. "Say good-bye! You'll never be ready. Say good-bye!"

Steve spoke up, trying to calm her down. "He'll come around. He just needs a little time."

Jane just shook her head. "I don't know what I was thinking … like I'm going to live happily ever after with Thor? His father compared me to a _goat_ when I was on Asgard! Everyone hated me. That Xena woman kept giving me the stink-eye. It was only a matter of time before someone got to him."

Darcy put her hand over her friend's. "Where's he at now?"

"He's at my apartment. Hasn't come out of the spare room. Since I showed him how to use the PS3, he's been watching all those _Game of Thrones_ DVDs you let me borrow."

"Well … at least he has good taste. If he's going to wallow, best to wallow in Westeros. At least there's lots of boobs," Darcy said, trying to lighten the mood. Steve choked a little on his nutella churros.

"Not making me feel better," Jane said, then drank more.

Darcy glanced at Steve for a second ... he looked worried. She knew that Jane really loved Thor, but he was driving her all kinds of crazy ... and he'd been doing it for two years now, whether it was intentional or not. Since meeting him, Jane had pretty much developed an eating disorder, bad hygiene practices, abandonment issues, and now she was worried that her boyfriend would dump her because his life-expectancy was 5,000 years and Jane's was around 90. Darcy didn't even know what to call that particular issue. Dating an alien-god did not sound like fun.

Darcy set her fork down. "Okay. You know what's going to make you feel better? Karaoke. Let's finish up and go to Chinatown. You can sing some Katy Perry ... and I'm gonna go with some Jay Z."

"Done! Let's do this!" Jane said, then finished her drink.

"Who's Jay Z?" Steve looked between the two girls, confused.

"You're gonna love it, Steve!" Darcy grinned, then rapped, badly. "If you having girl problems, I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one. Hit me!"

Steve kept eating his churros, looking scared.


	8. Chapter 8

XXX

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

The evening had been a success in cheering Jane up, and also in introducing Steve into the world of karaoke bars. As had been tradition since the three started hanging out, the two girls made sure to walk into the Chinatown establishment, one on each of Steve's arms. It was mainly to tease him, because then he looked all pimp, like Tony Stark.

After several shots of whipped cream vodka, they sang "The Boy is Mine" by Monica and Brandy, and dedicated it to their number-one man for the evening, Cap Steve Rogers. Since the girls couldn't get him up on stage to sing with them, they had made it their goal for the evening to try and turn him as bright red as possible. After performing their chosen solos of Katy Perry and Jay Z, Darcy and Jane then attracted quite a lot of attention, as the two white girls went on to nail Warren G's "Regulate", not even having to look at the prompter.

It was something they used to do to alleviate boredom when they were isolated in New Mexico, and the scientific data trickled in at a snail's pace … they would learn classic hip-hop and rap songs while coming up with dance moves, like they were thirteen years old. They waited, however, to bring out their "Shoop" rendition from Salt-N-Pepa, for a very special occasion.

On the way home, as Steve tried to give the cab driver directions back to Stark Tower, the two girls went back and forth yelling the famous line from _Captain Phillips_ and their "captain movie night". Cap would tell the man to turn left, and Jane would yell "look at me! … look at me! _I'm_ da Captain now … turn right!" Then Darcy would chime in, "no! _I'm_ da captain now … go straight!" The girls felt triumphant in never having seen Steve laugh so hard before.

The next morning was a tough one, however, and Darcy decided that the extra time on her hands from her lightened work-load, had the potential to turn her into a lush. And even though the weekend was ahead of her, she decided to lay off the booze ... for a few days.

As she made her way down the hall to Loki's room again, this time with his brand new electronics, she really wasn't feeling the mental sharpness that she knew was needed when dealing with him. He'd proven to be a little hard to talk to, and on top of that, sensitive … and she wasn't looking forward to teaching him all about Macs, iOS, and what apps were best for earth-bound demigods. She could have gone for at least another pot of coffee first.

And being slightly out of it, was probably why she reacted the way she did, as she walked into the room, and Loki rose from his desk.

"_Damn_." It was all Darcy could think to say when she saw him.

He was wearing one of the designer v-neck black t-shirts that Pepper had picked out, along with the dark jeans Darcy had insisted on buying. He wore them with his new black leather belt with the nice silver buckle … and green converse. And God bless Pepper, because she had certainly figured his exact measurements, because they all fit _wonderfully_.

Loki looked confused by her use of the single word "damn", unsure of the context she was using it in. He then watched as she set the boxes she was carrying down on the desk ... and just like she'd done a few months before, when she saw Thor in London, she reached out and poked him in the stomach.

_Hard as a rock_, she thought.

But unlike Thor, who knew Darcy meant nothing by it ... Loki looked down in bewilderment. He fought the urge to jump back and defend himself, as he was so used to being threatened.

"So you're all muscley, too," she said, looking up at him. Where Thor was shaped like a beefy football player, Loki had it going on like a soccer player or a swimmer. All lean muscle and with a torso shaped like a delicious "V".

She stepped back to admire his new earthly persona.

"Loki, you look _fine,_" she said with an approving grin. "Points for Darcy! … well, and Pepper. Very appropriate for 'casual Friday'."

Loki blinked a few times and said, "you look … suitable as well." He thought she looked rather beautiful in her different colorful attire, but didn't want to give away too much of what he was thinking.

Darcy laughed. "Suitable? Thanks!" She was wearing jeans too, as she did on most Fridays, with her turquoise concho belt and one of her beloved dressy peasant tops that she'd gotten in New Mexico. The outfit did a damn fine job of accentuating her curves.

Loki noted her sarcasm. "'Suitable' is comparable to 'fine', is it not?"

"Sure. Sure it is," Darcy said, chewing on her thumbnail. She had noticed before that he was what any hot-blooded woman would think of as attractive, but he had also been underneath all that armor, which she found pretty ridiculous. Outside of his Asgardian ensemble, the reindeer helmet, and the slicked-back stringy hair, he was down-right hot. Tall, dark, pale and handsome ... and although it was an unconventional handsomeness, it didn't make him any less beautiful. All that, plus the fact that he'd lost the certain manic quality he'd possessed in all the pictures from his reports, and she suddenly saw her alien project in a new light. He was every bit as good-looking as Thor, Steve, and Clint. She tucked that revelation away to think about later.

"Sorry, when I say 'fine' … it's Midgardian, or rather American slang for 'great'. You look great, Loki," she said, honestly. "I'm proud of you." Then she patted him on the shoulder and gave him a smirk.

"Ah." He smiled, tilting his head, a hint of an old sparkle in his eyes. He started to say something, but Darcy had already turned back to her packages, her attention now on his new electronic toys.

"Alright Loki, down to business. Here's your new laptop and phone. I have to show you how to use these, okay? During your last visit, did you get a chance to see how these work?"

He thought for a second. His mind wasn't quite ready for talking about Midgardian technology, but he quickly adapted to Darcy's jumps in conversation. "I mainly had others who had the expertise that I needed." He motioned for them both to sit down.

"Oh, yeah … right, the whole mind-control thing." Darcy opened the new laptop. "Well, now you're gonna have to learn. No faking. But you're smart, yeah? You should be able to pick this up."

She had set up his new MacBook and was explaining how google was like a mystic oracle, and if used right, could explain the meaning of life ... when Steve popped his head in.

"Everything okay in here?" He winked at her. Darcy knew he was just trying to find out if they were watching movies anytime soon, but Loki visibly stiffened, probably offended that he needed to be checked on.

"Look at me!" Darcy said to Steve, pointing to her eyes.

"Ma'am." He straightened up, instantly playing along.

"Look at me."

"Sure."

"_I'm_ da captain now." It was hard for her to keep a straight face, but she did it.

There was a faint twitch on Steve's lips as he struggled not to laugh, but he nodded and then shut the door, leaving Darcy and Loki to themselves. Loki then looked at her like he'd just noticed she had two heads.

Darcy chuckled inside. "It's just how I roll, Loki," she said, plugging in his new phone.

"Tell me, is the good captain one of the girls?" Loki asked, not quite understanding what had just transpired, but guessed that it had to have been a joke … he just wasn't sure if it was at his expense.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw Thor earlier this morning, and he mentioned that you and Jane had dinner with him last night. Your note mentioned 'girl-talk' … is the captain one of the girls?"

"Oh. Yeah. We were hanging out."

She could sense that his questioning was starting to sound like he was being weird and sensitive ... but then she thought maybe it was just because he didn't understand the kinds of dynamics that existed on Earth in the 21st century.

From what Jane described, Asgard sounded downright medieval in some respects, so she decided to try and explain. "When me and Jane came back to The States after that whole evil space-elf thing, working for S.H.I.E.L.D. was a bit tough. It's hard to break into the clicks around here, ya know? It's hard to make friends at first. It was the same way for Steve, being frozen for 70 years and all. The three of us started hanging out. He's very easy to talk to, for a straight dude. He's definitely not a girl, but he's non-threatening and he's sincere."

Loki nodded like he understood, but said through his teeth, "I've certainly seen him making threats." He'd heard _many_ threats from the be-spandexed members of the Avengers over the past few days.

Darcy raised an eyebrow, becoming irritated. "Yeah, he's good at making threats against an enemy. And I'm sure he's most sincere about those too. But he's old-school and a gentleman, which is refreshing among all these uppity whiny-ass hipster bros in New York City. And he'd never threaten a woman … unless maybe it was some _bitch_ trying to take over the world and turn us all into slaves ... like someone in this room who will remain nameless," she said, looking toward the ceiling.

She had hit a nerve. Loki leaned forward, narrowed his blue-green eyes, and stared a hole through her head. "I never meant to enslave the whole of the human race, in order to force them into constructing a shrine to myself, like some of your kings have done in the past." He sat up with a haughty look on his face. "I only meant to rule as a benevolent god."

She was still too tired and hungover to care about being scared of him. "Hmmm, yeah … and yet you unleashed an alien invasion on a city with fresh memories of the September 11th terrorist attacks, that's real benevolent. I'm surprised you didn't bomb Hawaii a few years after Pearl Harbor."

"I don't know what you're speaking of."

"Uh-huh. And that whole benevolence thing is proven _yet again,_ as you admit to trying to rule an entire group of people that you never even bothered to learn about."

Loki stood, attempting to intimidate her. "Humans slaughter each other daily without much thought to what it means for their 'people'. Was my attempt to rule so wrong? So different?" His voice was raised.

Darcy didn't flinch, not feeling any real danger. "Earth isn't without its problems," she raised her voice right back … "but they're _Earth's_ problems to work out. They're not for some brat prince in search of a vanity project!"

Loki's eyes widened, anger bubbling to the surface. Darcy sensed this immediately and decided to try and defuse the situation as quickly as possible, with her trademark flippancy.

She calmly sat back. "Besides Loki, if you wanted to be worshipped, you should have just asked me first. Trying to be a king, or a god, or whatever, was the wrong way to go about it. Gods have been dropping like flies on this planet for half a century … or at least since the Beatles became popular."

He cocked his head to the side in confusion, diffused. "Wha … I'm sorry?" Loki furrowed his brows.

Darcy laughed. "You wanted to be loved, right? Worshipped? Respected?"

Loki didn't answer but sat back down, perplexed. Shocked at being challenged by a mortal. Confused by her twists and turns in conversation ... and not knowing if she was being at all serious.

She took this as permission to go on. "Earth's number-one most direct route to being hated, is to go into politics. Have you ever listened to what people say about their kings? The countries that even still have a monarchy, pretty much just see them as figure-heads. They don't actually rule anything … they're just rich and ride around waving at people, while their subjects laugh about them in the tabloids. This ain't Asgard. There's no _one_ dude like Odin … many countries are democracies and they haven't had a real king in centuries. Tony was right when he told you there was no throne."

Loki took the challenge. "What is it they say of your president? That he's the 'leader of the free world'? That sounds like a dictator to me." He was sure that he had a good point.

Darcy stared at him unblinking. "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." It was something she always said to crazy people ... usually members of the tea party.

"Okay, first, have you ever heard of 'checks and balances'? Our president is not a dictator ... there's a congress and a judicial system in place so that he never has too much power. Plus, he's been elected to his office by the people. Second, have you ever read an American paper? Watched Fox News? People hate the president even more than they hate kings! No one is ever happy with _anything_ that he does, even the people who voted for him! Take a look at a picture of the president before he took office and a picture of him now. He looks like he's aged _twenty_ years. Anyone who wants to take on that kind of pressure has got to be absolutely insane," she said, then realized who she was talking to. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry, I guess you did kind of fall off the deep end there … no pun intended."

Loki stared at her blankly and then laughed. It was quite unexpected, as he hadn't been sincerely motivated to laugh in what seemed like decades … this girl was patently bizarre. And invigorating.

Darcy wanted to get back to work. "Can we go back to the Apple products? I have to teach you this stuff … you have a long weekend ahead of you in the lab with Dr. Banner."

He opened his arms in a sweeping motion that meant for her to proceed. "By all means," he smiled sardonically. He had no idea what to make of her, but whether or not she was actually being serious, she had given him a few things to think on. Mortals rarely did that.

Darcy then went over the office suite, texting, using search engines, how to navigate web pages, email, internet shopping with his new company account, video conferencing, sending attachments, sending pictures, and the art of animated gifs for funzies, as she called it.

As she taught Loki the basics, she was secretly on her phone texting Jane and Steve. They were conspiring, making sure everything would be set up for later in the afternoon, and the first installment of "alien invasion night" ... which Darcy decided would be a surprise for after she showed him around, taking him to the areas he was now allowed.

Loki followed her as she presented the break-room, showed him the snack machines, and pointed out several offices, including her own. He was momentarily fascinated by a framed cross-stitched quote, that said, "_The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue_." She explained that her gran had tried to teach her how to sew when she was little, and that cross-stitching was the only thing that stuck. She had chosen a Dorothy Parker quote because her witticisms reminded Darcy of the things her grandmother said.

He watched as she looked around her little office with pride, satisfied that she'd made it as comfortable as possible, with the exception of the very important item known as a candy dish. "It's just not an office without a big window and decent candy. I've got the window. I think I'll go shopping for the perfect dish over the weekend," she said, quite content. Loki silently followed her around, letting her think that she was going to come out of this acquaintance completely unscathed. He already had different plans.

He was surprised yet again, when they returned to his room to find Jane and Steve Rogers. They were busily arranging four office chairs from the boardroom in front of a new flat-screen TV, and microwaving popcorn for Loki's introduction into the Midgardian entertainment known as motion pictures. They insisted on showing him a ridiculous yet curiously compelling American patriotic movie called _Independence Day,_ about an invasion of what appeared to be stick-insects in slimy armor.

The humans were in strange high spirits for being in the room of a known villain … and as he observed the three friends in their easy camaraderie, it was obvious that they shared a hundred private jokes that only they understood. He caught a fleeting memory of what it was like in the best moments back on Asgard, after a victorious battle, over feasts that lasted for weeks, tankards of ale, dancing, games, wine, and constant tales of conquering the enemy. Asgardians lived for these extreme moments and events.

These human friends were just as satisfied, however, with a simple afternoon of watching a fantasy tale of an otherworldly invasion, while drinking carbonated sugar-water and eating salty air-popped corn. It was all very alien to him and unnerving to witness. It also seemed as though they had made a conscious decision to be civil to him. They were not exactly warm, but they were also not openly hostile. It confused him, so he tried not to say much, or react to anything ... especially when they all inexplicably stared at him during a part in the film, when the pilot welcomed a slimy stick-insect creature to Earth by punching it in the face.

As Darcy stood and recited the climactic presidential speech that she had no doubt heard a hundred times before, Loki watched as Jane Foster, who as far as he could tell, had no sense of humor or personality what so ever ... be reduced to tears of laughter. He watched the good captain grin from ear to ear as his usual tedious cares and concerns were stripped away for just a little while. He witnessed a completely different side to them.

He wouldn't admit it at the time, but he began to see what was so alluring about these humans to Thor, why he longed to be in their company. There was no pretense. It seemed as though they could take simple pleasure in just merely being alive and in each other's company. He supposed it was necessary when you had around eight decades to live your life, instead of around five thousand years, like him and his brother.

After Steve and Jane had mercifully left, Darcy gave several discs to Loki, in case he wanted to watch them later. She explained that she was leaving for the day and wouldn't be back until Monday ... but that he had to work in the lab on Saturday and Sunday because Dr. Banner was lame and didn't believe in weekends.

Darcy finished cleaning up after the movie. "I've given you a crash course in American technology, Loki, do you think you can handle it? You can text me if you have questions … just not at like, 4 a.m. okay? Be reasonable. And not during the Saints game on Sunday." She didn't answer her phone during football games.

"I'll try to keep that in mind," he said, the wheels turning in his head.

"Just remember, S.H.I.E.L.D. probably has all your stuff bugged, so don't do anything stupid like google 'how to overthrow a government'. And also, don't go looking up anything like 'horny sluts with strap-ons' unless you want Fury to know what your sexual fetishes are. Got it?"

Loki laughed quietly and nodded.

"And hey, Loki," Darcy said as she walked out the door for the evening, "Just so you know! _We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!_"

"Woman, you are positively unhinged!" He said after her.

"And proud of it!"

He sat back and shook his head. Now that Darcy had mentioned it, there was no way he wasn't going to be able to _not_ look up 'horny sluts with strap-ons'.


	9. Chapter 9

XXX

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

On Saturday morning, Darcy helped Jane to coax Thor out of the spare room, by coming over to make pancakes. The astrophysicist was brilliant when it came to science, clueless when it came to cooking. Darcy, having spent much of her childhood in New Orleans, knew her way around a kitchen from watching her southern grandmother. She had also spent a bit of time cooking at a restaurant in the French Quarter during breaks from school. Since to her, making breakfast from a Bisquick box was sacrilegious, she made buttermilk pancakes from scratch with a praline sauce.

As she cooked up some bacon to go along with the meal, Thor came right out as soon as the aroma hit his nose. He emerged wearing a Hall and Oats t-shirt and jeans. Darcy wasn't sure how, but she knew the shirt had Tony Stark written all over it.

"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty. I knew bacon would break the spell ... works every time," Darcy said, piling some up on a plate for him. Jane then set down a big mug of coffee for Thor with lots of cream and sugar. For the first time in days, he cracked a smile.

"Thank you ladies," he said, as he sat down at Jane's kitchen table. He began to eat most of the stack Darcy had made, only leaving one pancake each for the girls. They were not surprised.

As Darcy ate her pancake, and piece of bacon that was left, she said, "ready for a weekend of football?"

To lift Thor's spirits, she had devised a plan with Jane the night before ... introducing him to the world of American sports. They thought that perhaps he needed something fun and competitive to get into. It had the potential to be dangerous, as they didn't want to one day lose him to fantasy football, but they had to try something.

Jane let him in on the itinerary. "We've got a case of beer in the fridge, and we're going to watch the big college games today to teach you all the rules. Then tomorrow, we're going to the bar to watch the Saints, Darcy's team, and then of course, the New York Giants game, cool? This is what normal autumn weekends in America consists of ... watching tons of football. Drinking beer. Eating wings."

Thor only nodded while he chewed, but he at least attempted to smile.

"So what episode of _Game of Thrones_ are you on?" Darcy was curious as to what an Asgardian thought of the story.

Thor swallowed and shook his head. "Poor Ned," he said.

"Ah. End of first season. Better get used to it, buddy," Darcy told him.

"Who do you suppose I would be, if I were in this fantasy world?" Thor asked, before taking a big bite of pancake topped with bacon.

"Nope. I'm not touching that one. I don't want to give anything away." She also didn't want to compare him to someone who wasn't long for the world of Westeros.

"It's okay! I want to know. Who would I be?" He actually seemed to perk up a little, so Darcy was compelled to answer him.

"Ummmm … maybe a little Khal Drogo, because he was a fierce warrior and all muscley … perhaps a little Jaime Lannister—without the whole incest thing, of course—because he's a jerk in the beginning, and then sort of changes because of a few things that happen to him. That's all I got, Thor. No more spoilers!"

He seemed satisfied with her answer. He then asked, "who would Loki be?"

"Emmm, I don't know. A little Tyrion, a little Jon Snow … and probably a nice helping of Littlefinger."

Thor nodded. "I wish we'd had Tyrion at court. Loki would have then had a friend in mischief. He might not have felt so out of place."

Darcy smiled. _Bless him_, she thought. "You do realize that Tyrion is not a real person, and Peter Dinklage is an actor?"

Thor shrugged and then set his fork down, finishing his bite … he looked at Darcy and Jane. "I wanted to speak with you about Loki, actually. Early yesterday morning, he summoned me to S.H.I.E.L.D., and I went, because Loki never asks me for anything. Rarely has he ever, in fact. Not since childhood."

He had Jane and Darcy's full attention.

"I'm not exactly his favorite person in the Nine Realms, and he certainly isn't mine these days, but I still feel as if my brother is in there somewhere. And I believe he's closer to the surface now, on this day, more so than he's been on any of the days these past few difficult years. So even with my anger at him for what he did, concealing himself in such a way … I still went. And do you know what I found?"

In anticipation, the girls looked at each other and shook their heads.

"I found him as concerned with how he looked as Fandral on the eve of the spring festival. He had every piece of clothing he's acquired strewn about his quarters. He requested my presence because he said I knew how to put Midgardian clothing together better than he. Loki Odinson, my brother, admitted that I was better than him at _something_." Thor smiled big, the first toothy grin they'd seen on him since he'd come back. "Now, why do you suppose this is, ladies?"

Darcy shrugged her shoulders … but Jane turned her head to her friend and said, "Darcy."

"What?" Darcy looked at them confused.

"He was staring at you hardcore yesterday during the movie, please tell me you noticed that," Jane said.

"He was not."

Thor didn't know if Darcy quite understood. "He asked me several questions about you, Darcy." Loki had nonchalantly asked him if he needed to worry about upsetting Steve Rogers' paramour. Thor knew it was just a ploy to see if Darcy had been claimed by the Captain, or by anyone for that matter ... but he had played along, telling his brother that as far as he knew, she was yet unclaimed.

"So?" Darcy didn't see how asking questions meant that Loki liked her. "He was probably just trying to learn my weaknesses so that he'll know how to squash me like an ant. It was from the movie we watched ... the aliens came to Earth for years, _learning our weaknesses_."

Thor could never tell if she was being serious, so he just moved on. "Darcy. I haven't known my brother to pursue women as sport like Fandral, or some of the other warriors at court … he has always been known to be a gentleman to a lady, strangely enough, given his recent history. But it has been a good while since I've seen him inspired. I've suspected for some time that he'd been hurt in that regard, although I am not sure how."

Darcy became extremely uncomfortable. "I have no idea why you're telling me this. I've just been teaching him how to email. That's it." She took a big gulp of coffee, wishing there was a bottle of Bailey's she could spike it with.

Jane jumped in. "Stop it. You always do this. You ignore everyone. You're oblivious to the good ones who are obviously interested and keep them in the friend-zone. You find the _one_ guy in your acquaintance that is unattainable and you set your mind on him, knowing that nothing is going to come out of it … so you won't have to actually get close to anyone. I thought maybe you had gotten over it with Ian, but I was wrong. It was the traumatic experience that brought you two together."

Darcy looked at Jane, shocked. "That's not true! Not all of it anyway … the Ian part might be true."

"Darcy! You pick the most unfeeling and stoic guy in the whole building to have a crush on! You think Ian got on your nerves with his finger tapping? What would happen if you dated a guy that _never_ smiled."

"Who are you talking about?" Thor asked, looking between them.

"No one!" Darcy said to Thor, then looked at Jane. "I like him because I don't think he'd be some kind of lovey-dovey idiot. I hate that shit. It makes me want to puke."

"Love is not a weakness," Jane said, as a matter of fact. Darcy suspected that she was saying this to Thor as much as she was saying it to her.

"I don't understand what any of this has to do with Loki. He's just part of my job." Darcy crossed her arms.

Thor realized that she didn't want to see it just yet … perhaps later she would understand, after Loki had begun pulling at her pigtails, so to speak. It's how he worked. If he fancied a girl, he began pulling veiled tricks on her. Flowers, jewelry ... only the flowers may turn one's nose green for a day if one smelled them ... and the jewelry had a tendency to have a mind of its own. One unfortunate girl, Thor remembered, was given a necklace that liked to make its way underneath the poor lady's undergarments. Yes, Darcy was lucky that Loki was without his magic ... and it might actually help him in this case, seeing as Loki's love tricks never seemed to result in the desired outcome.

Thor decided to be happy for his brother. "I for one, am glad of it. Now he will know firsthand what it's like to care for a mortal. He won't be so smug in his whispers in my ear about our differences. Let him get a taste. I welcome it." He then happily went back to his pancakes.

"Dude." Darcy looked at Thor like he was as nutty as his brother. "Loki thinks I am a peasant. He said so himself. I'm _nothing special_."

Thor swallowed his bite. "When Loki goes on rants like that, it is more a reflection of himself than anyone else. I do not think he meant those things. He was just being a horse's ass."

"Yeah, I know all about him and his horse's ass."

Thor choked. "That story was all started by some perverse Midgardian, a conjurer of tall tales, centuries ago."

"Sure." Darcy knew the horse story was in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s "myth" category, but it was too funny not be talked about … and laughed at.

Jane spoke up. "How can you be supportive of this, Thor? Loki is insane and a _criminal_."

"Loki is difficult, but he has not been himself. I do not think he's insane any longer."

"That doesn't make me feel better." Jane pushed her plate away and Thor picked up the pieces of bacon she left.

"No one is a saint, Jane … I certainly was not one before we met. If I can change, I must think that Loki can too. Darcy might be good for him."

Jane was baffled. "This is preposterous. I can't believe you're talking like this. He's the guy that tried to kill you! He's the guy that tried to enslave the entire human race, and you're reaction is _nobody's perfect_?"

Thor shrugged and drank his coffee. "Loki also helped save your life, Jane."

"Fine. He saved my life. That doesn't make him good for Darcy."

Darcy was tired of them discussing her like she wasn't there. "Jane, thanks for your concern, but I'm confused … were you not just trying to convince me to stop obsessing over you-know-who, and resign myself to settling down with whatever psycho dude happens to cross my path?"

Jane took her attention off of Thor and looked to her friend. "I was just saying that you should open up your eyes and see what's in front of you, stop acting like there aren't awesome guys who could make you happy. I was thinking of someone more like Steve … not Loki."

"_Steve_?! No way, man. He's still pining over that 90-year-old woman! It would be weird. Besides, I stopped taking virginities way back in high school. I don't have the patience to train anymore dudes. I need one off the rack. Ready to go."

Thor then chose to casually speak up. "Loki would be a polished and attentive lover."

"WOW OH MY GOD THANKS FOR THAT, THOR!"

Darcy's eyes went wide and it felt like her whole body blushed. "Can we watch football now?" She looked to Thor ... "there's nothing going on with Loki," ... she looked to Jane, "and there is nothing going on with Steve … or Ian for that matter, or anyone. Jesus, y'all are making me feel kind of slutty, talking about all these guys."

Jane put down her mug. "You know that's not true. I just want you to be happy. If you're happy pining away after Clint, so be it."

"Jane!"

Thor looked to Darcy and laughed.

"Don't say a word, Thor!"

"Very well, Darcy … but why favor him if you do not want him to know it?" She couldn't admit it, but Thor had a point.

"Clint would never look at me twice." Darcy's face was bright-red with embarrassment. "He probably sees me as some kind of silly little sister-type. Natasha is my superior officer, it could never happen. It's just a little crush! I think it's the cross-bow thing. It's hot."

"Exactly," Jane said. "No chance of getting close. No chance of getting hurt."

Darcy was certain that Jane was talking to both her and Thor again … but she wasn't going to call her out on it at the moment. She didn't want to have this conversation so early in the day, and she certainly didn't want to have it in front of Thor.

"Wow, you guys. This is a little intense for 11 a.m. on a Saturday. I'll take everything you've said under advisement," Darcy said as she got up, went to Jane's fridge and took out a Miller Lite.

"The LSU game starts in an hour." She walked over to the TV and turned it to ESPN. "I'll be over here on the couch when you want to learn about the Midgardian obsession known as football, Thor." Darcy popped open the can. She'd take that break from drinking starting after the weekend. These people were freaking her out.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

As Jane and Darcy suspected, Thor took to football like he'd been playing it all his life. After watching all the big college games on Saturday, he sat and watched _Sports Center_ replays well into the night, and was pretty much an expert by the time they all met up at the corner bar to watch the Saints on Sunday. He wasn't the only one who apparently did some studying though, because as soon as the game started, Loki began texting.

As a rule, Darcy only answered texts from two people during a Saints game, her friends Jules and Scott in New Orleans. Their back and forth commentary had her attention every bit as much as the actual game did. It made her feel like they were all together at their favorite bar back home, cheering on their team. For this particular game, however, she was treated to Loki asking questions she suspected he already knew the answers to.

He would text things like, "_did number 09 mean to throw that ball right to the other team_?" … when the quarterback threw an interception … or, "_your team was supposed to make it across the yellow line, correct_?" … whenever they failed to make a first down. It became infuriating.

As the game went on though, it turned into such an intense nail-biter, that she actually became engaged in going back and forth with him. When the quarterback (Drew Brees) threw a pass to the tight end (Jimmy Graham) for a touchdown, the three friends cheered and she texted Loki, "_BOOOOOOM! THAT'S how it's done on Midgard, BITCH_!

Darcy beamed and then looked over at Thor and Jane, finally relaxing around each other over a pitcher, enjoying being together. It looked like he might be starting to cheer up a little bit. It did seem nice to have someone to share in the fun with. Companionship. The chance for love.

Darcy had a bit of a hard time believing in love.

She decided not to mention Loki's texting … she didn't want to have another conversation like the one from the previous morning. She looked back down at her phone.

"_It's about time your players caught something. They drop the ball more than they catch it,_" Loki texted.

"_I hate you_."

"_Not for long_."

She stared at her phone for a second and then tossed it on the bar upside down, like it shocked her. No more texts for the day.


	10. Chapter 10

XXX

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

Monday morning training sessions were always a bitch, but if Darcy was going to be a legit S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, instead of just someone they hired because she knew too much about aliens and gods and just how close the world came to being destroyed (twice), she needed to be dedicated. Natasha, as her S.O., had been overseeing her learning of hand to hand combat (asassain training) through various kinds of martial arts. Darcy wasn't the most athletic person in the world, having not had much interest in playing sports growing up, but she had learned to love the training and how it made her feel. She was now stronger, more resilient, and flexible. She was beginning to feel like she could properly defend herself against a formidable foe if need be, not that she was going to stop carrying around her taser anytime soon.

As the Black Widow was helping her protege with her punching technique, Darcy decided that now was as good a time as any to ask for some sisterly spy advice. She was just having trouble talking about Loki after Thor's ridiculous observations. What was he smoking?

"Soooooooo ... I heard you were tasked with questioning Loki during his capture on the helicarrier?" Darcy was able to finally spit it out while taking a swing at her volunteer target.

Natasha was all business, sitting cross-legged on a mat while overseeing. "You have to visualize punching through his face as you swing, it helps with the follow-through. And yes, I interrogated Loki … it was quite the experience, let me tell you." The Black Widow rolled her eyes … Loki had said some really weird things (_I am burdened with glorious purpose_?) … and some really, truly awful things.

"I need some advice," Darcy said, taking a rest and still breathing heavily.

"Shoot."

"I need to know how I can keep the upper hand with him."

Natasha nodded, understanding completely. Being an agent and a woman had its advantages, but it also had its disadvantages … meaning, most of them had to work twice as hard as men to be taken seriously. Loki didn't seem like the type that would see a woman as lethal. Men who underestimated her though, always ended up losing.

"Everyone has their weakness," she said. "Lucky for us, we already know what many of his weaknesses are … but Loki is also pretty good at determining what makes you tick, and he doesn't think twice about using it against you. You must have a thick skin around him. You must not take anything he says personally ... his words are some of his greatest weapons. Your shield against them must be the ability to let them bounce right off of you."

Darcy nodded and resumed punching while her S.O. continued ... "you keep the upper hand by always staying a step ahead. Have a strategy, but always keep your options open if things change. Trick him into confiding in you by letting him think he's getting to you … but don't lie unless you have to, stick to the truth as closely as possible so you won't have to keep track of every single thing you've said. He'll start giving you the information you need. Men will always spill if they think they're talking to a vulnerable pretty face."

This was sounding positively wicked. Darcy loved it. Plus, she was elated that Natasha thought of her as a "pretty face", seeing as how the Black Widow was breathtakingly beautiful. "How do I let him think he's getting to me?" she asked.

"Well, you usually start by confiding just a little … at least at first, to get him to start talking about himself. Don't get too personal, but try to relate to him. Make him think you understand where he's coming from. That's when they start to give everything." Natasha thought for a second, "are you thinking that Loki's hiding something?"

"Not necessarily. I just want to have the upper hand just in case," Darcy said, hoping she wouldn't be prodded further.

"In case of what?"

"In case he does have some sort of diabolical plan." _Like trying to act as if he's mac-ing on me_, Darcy thought.

Natasha nodded. "You need to stay detached. He can be mean, you've seen it. He can say very cruel things, I know this first hand. You cannot let it get to you. You must learn how to brush it off."

Darcy remembered her tears after their initial meeting. "I know I'm sensitive. I try not to be."

Her mentor smiled, "The good thing is … until you can train your reactions, you can turn your weakness into a strength. You can use your sensitivity to your advantage. If your enemies think you're sensitive, they'll be too quick to judge you as weak, and then you'll be able to take them by surprise much easier."

The advice made Darcy feel much more comfortable. "Nice. Thank you, Natasha." She smiled over to her ... "can I be you when I grow up?"

Agent Romanov frowned slightly, "you don't need to be. You're coming into your own quite well, Darcy."

She looked down, unused to such compliments from such an accomplished person, from such a bad-ass woman … "I'm glad someone has faith in me."

Natasha shook her head ... "there's that sensitivity thing. Confidence, Darcy. Sometimes the only thing between you and the enemy's triumph is plain old confidence. Always be more confident than them."

Darcy nodded. "I'll work on it, I promise. Thank you."

"Remember," the Black Widow advised ... "stay detached. Never empathize. It's part of the job."

After wrapping up her training session, Darcy showered in the women's locker room and changed into her work clothes. While perfecting her technique, Natasha insisted that she train wearing proper spy-wear … which consisted of skin-tight black pants that somehow held secret compartments that she had to practice grabbing things out of as quickly as possible ... and a skin-tight black jacket, with even more compartments, over an even tighter shirt. To her amazement, the ensemble was incredibly comfortable, the material being stretchy, soft, and light, without a trace of restriction. She was sure you couldn't just get these outfits at Old Navy and that they were incredibly expensive and made with the best materials ... but they also left almost nothing to the imagination, and Darcy wasn't used to showing off her figure.

Developing early had been more of a curse than a blessing, and she never got over feeling self-conscious about having larger than average breasts ... but working for S.H.I.E.L.D. was forcing her to get over her body issues. She had been compelled to toss her over-sized comforting shirts and sweaters that she liked to hide under for more figure-flattering professional attire. She was trying to get used to the change, but the official spy uniform still felt extremely uncomfortable. Natasha kept telling her that large perfect breasts were an asset not many people were blessed with, and could be used to a wonderful advantage … but Darcy still wasn't completely sold. She felt much more at home in her not-so-skin-tight black pants and retro blouse. With her retro frames, she looked like she could have stepped out of a black and white episode of _The Dick Van Dyke Show_.

She took the elevator up to her floor from the basement training facility, and rounded the corner to her little office. She turned the knob and tried to step inside but an avalanche of green M&amp;Ms spilled into the hallway, as about three feet of candy had been disturbed by the opening of her office door.

"The fuck?" Darcy dropped her handbag which housed the new candy dish that she'd bought over the weekend. It was a small antique glass bowl that she found at a second-hand shop, and was planning on filling it with Reese's Pieces later … though it didn't look like she'd have to actually procure any candy after all … but this wasn't exactly what she had in mind.

"Fucking. Loki."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

"Loki, get your fucking ass down here and help me clean this up." Darcy had called him immediately after finding her payback in the form of hundreds, no … probably thousands, of little green candies.

She could hear him sighing dramatically into his iPhone. "I'm really very busy. They keep me working in here like a slave, ironically … probably so that I can't get into any mischief."

Darcy took her phone from her ear and stared at it for a second. "You are the most hilarious dude I've ever heard of. How did you even do this? How did security not see this happening? What in the living hell, man? Why would you do this?"

"You said that every office needed candy. I was only trying to help … trying to return the favor for being such a wonderful guide of all things Midgardian," he said cooly.

"Whoa dude, I just pulled a muscle in my eye from rolling it so hard. Now get down here and help me clean this shit up!" Other nearby agents were starting to congregate around the mess and her cheeks were flushing magenta with embarrassment.

"Have an underling do it."

"Asshole! You don't do shit like this and expect a working person to clean up after you. Have you no respect?"

"It's what they're paid for, is it not? You are simply giving them something to do."

"Oh my god. You don't make messes just for other people to clean up, dickhead!" Darcy was at a loss.

"I'm not sure what you just called me, but by the inflection in your voice, I'm guessing that it's something inappropriate. How very unladylike. You really shouldn't get so riled up," he patronized.

Darcy hated when guys did that … said shit like, "_calm down_" or "_don't get your panties in a twist_" … it was just a way for them to imply that women were hysterical bitches. The feminist in her didn't get mad, she got even.

"Oh, I'm not riled up. Not in the least." She hung up on him.

It took the rest of the morning and half the afternoon to clean up the office. Several agents and their assistants took turns helping her out, which she was grateful for … and even helped to get her better acquainted with them. Fortunately, no one seemed all that mad, and she was thankful that Loki had done something relatively harmless instead of something hurtful. In the end, they'd filled several big boxes with M&amp;Ms to be put outside with the trash. It seemed a terrible waste, but you just didn't know where the candies had been. Darcy was half-afraid they were all laced with LSD or something similiar, though she didn't really think Loki knew what that was. She wasn't taking any chances though, as he could have learned anything over the weekend with access to Wikipedia and Google. Oh well, she thought … maybe hipster dumpster divers from Brooklyn would like to test them out.

By the end of the day, her office was pretty much back to normal ... it had been an incredible waste of time, and she'd probably be finding green M&amp;Ms in her desk drawers and potted plants for weeks, but the whole floor had gotten a good laugh out of it. She sat and thought about how she could get him back … rule number one for alien tricksters, don't mess with a girl who knew computers.

Darcy had put a program on Loki's computer that would allow her remote access to his desktop, so she brought it up on her MacBook and entered in various porn sites on his browser. She also looked up "_hot guys with eye-patches_" on Google and left "_broke straight boys. com _" open for him to find and set it as his homepage. Served him right. Whoever kept track of his internet history was going to get a good laugh … either that or be thoroughly creeped out.

At around 6, after staying past office hours to get some actual work done, Loki knocked on her door frame, which he then leaned on casually, like he owned the joint. He was wearing a green V-neck this time along with his jeans. Darcy wondered if she had ever told Thor how she found V-necks incredibly hot on guys, but couldn't imagine when she would have. She decided to blame Thor anyway for his stupid fashion advice.

Loki spoke up with his velvety voice. Really, it was like the audible equivalent of dark chocolate gelato. "Can we call a truce for the evening? After all, I only gave you candy. I'm quite sure that Nick Fury now thinks I prefer the company of men," he said while smirking. A very irritating smirk, noted Darcy.

Darcy opened her mouth to say something, but he raised his hand to stop her. "And before you ask … no, I do not prefer the company of men." He said this as his blue-green eyes stared at her in such a way, as to convey the message that he liked to fuck women. A lot.

Darcy smiled at his denial at being gay ... "not that there's anything wrong with that," she noted. He then looked slightly confused, which was becoming a common thing for them. She supposed that making the I.T. department think Loki was into dudes (and with some serious kinks) meant they were even for the time being.

"What do you need?" She made a point of looking back to her computer screen and her work.

He glided inside her office and sat in the chair across the desk. "I was wondering if you would like to order some more food? Watch another one of your discs? I have quite a bit more learning to do, I gather," he said innocently.

She wasn't sure, but it sounded like a date to her, or at least as much of a date as he could have while being bound to the building. It was Darcy's time to be confused. She was supposed to be helping him assimilate, but he was making this seem a little too personal, what with the candy thing and the dinner thing and the movie thing … although the candy had been an incredible pain in her ass. This proposition sounded a little too much like fun … they were not supposed to be having fun. It was a job. Still, she hadn't had time to eat all day, having had to dig candy out of her office for most of it … and she needed an opportunity to start implementing Natasha's advice from earlier in the morning.

"Alright," she sighed. "What sounds good?" She asked like he knew what his options were.

"Whatever it was that you ordered before was tolerable," Loki said.

"Tolerable? That doesn't exactly sound like a four-star review."

"It was an improvement from the frozen boxes." This got a laugh from Darcy.

"Word," she said. "Hmmm, how about Italian, maybe some pizza? It's cheesy and starchy yummy comfort food. I think I need some of that after today, and burning all those calories shoveling M&amp;Ms out of my office."

"I was only trying to help," he said quite wickedly, giving one of his infuriating shrugs. She momentarily fantasized about chopping his arms off like Michonne did to her zombie pets in _The Walking Dead_.

Darcy smiled sweetly and tilted her head to the side. "Sure you were."

She then dialed up her favorite Manhattan pizza joint and ordered a pineapple/bacon thin-crust pizza, which was her preference, and ordered the alien a basic pepperoni. She didn't know what would be Loki-appropriate toppings as he hadn't been very good at expressing if he liked something or not. She suspected he just didn't want to admit that Midgardian things weren't so bad, but he was good at hiding it with his princely snobbery.

They went to his room to wait for the pizza and pick out a movie. She had left several blu-rays with the "alien invasion" theme plus _Man of Steel_, since it kind of fit into the category.

They sat in front of the TV. "How about this one? It's a fictional superhero movie. You might like it," Darcy said.

Loki frowned. "Why would you think that?"

She gave a half-smile ... "because it has lots of explosions. Dudes tend to like things that go splode. Besides, Superman is an American icon … plus, he's an alien. Just don't get any ideas from General Zod."

"How long do we have to continue to watch movies about beings from other planets who visit your world? I'm not missing what you're trying to do," Loki said.

"I'm not trying to do anything. Captain America got captain movies … you get alien movies. I just thought it would be fun," Darcy said truthfully. "I could always introduce you to the 'chick flick' if you want something different."

Loki looked at her for a few moments, mulling over what "chick flick" must mean. "We can watch this Superman, then," he said.

"Would you like to invite a few other people? I could call Thor and Jane?" Darcy thought it might be less like a date with the addition of friends.

"No, please." Loki said immediately. "I've had quite enough of Thor and Jane for awhile."

Darcy frowned. "I know that Thor isn't your best bud these days, but what do you have against Jane?" She wondered if he really was trying to convince his brother to keep a distance from her friend.

Loki looked down and fiddled with the blu-ray case. "One viewing with her will suffice for a little while, I think." She could tell he wasn't going to say anything else about it, so she dropped the subject. For now.

She took the disc from him and popped it in the player after the pizza was delivered, and this time, Loki was much more vocal during the movie. He seemed really impressed with the depiction of Krypton, wondering how it was that humans could create such interesting make-believe worlds with their imaginations, but not in reality. Darcy really didn't have a good answer for that, but told him that movies were an art-form and that artists always had the most colorful imaginations.

Later, during the destruction of Metropolis, Loki seemed confused ... "I don't understand why the 'Battle of New York' was such a crime," he mused … "if humans destroyed a whole city to create this tale."

Darcy laughed, "It's not real, Loki. Most of it was done with computers. The real explosions were done on movie sets." He still looked puzzled.

"You don't have anything like movies where you're from? I don't understand how your technology can sometimes be so much more advanced than ours, and then so far behind in other ways," she said.

Loki smirked, "I suppose it's a difference of what's important to the people. Humans seem to be preoccupied with these methods of storytelling that allows one to escape into an artist's world. Asgardians care about developing their own world." Darcy found that funny, as she doubted that women were even allowed to vote. Or that _anyone_ was allowed to vote, for that matter. Asgard didn't sound too developed.

"Sure. And your chosen mode of communication is probably by a raven, while I have to show you how to dial a phone number. And from what I hear about Asgardians, it seems like all they care about are battles and the feasts after the battles. That's not developed, that's archaic. There's a show exactly like that on The History Channel, it's called _Vikings_ ... takes place a thousand years ago." She was tired of his superiority complex.

"Humans love their battles as well."

Darcy shook her head ... "not so much anymore. I think you'd find that the more progressive humans look for other ways to solve problems. Violence should be a last resort."

"Then why the obsession with bigger and better weapons like Stark's, or the ones that S.H.I.E.L.D. was developing by studying the power of the Tesseract?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I think they just want to be prepared. You know, in case we have to encounter some kind of alien invasion or something. I think you might remember one."

"I think you want to see only the best in your people. It's incredibly naïve."

Darcy frowned. "And I think you want to jump on any opportunity to think of humans as beneath you, and I think that's incredibly arrogant and misguided." She shook her head. "Loki, I don't really feel like fighting today ... do you at least like the pizza? Please just admit that it's the most amazing thing ever, so we can move on with our lives."

He noted that she liked to do this … quickly change the subject so that she could win an argument. He would let her do it … for now. He smiled and leaned back in his comfy office chair that had been left from the previous movie viewing. "Very well. The pizza is quite good, though I prefer yours. I'm not sure I like these red meaty circles on mine, they just seem unnatural." He flicked the pieces off his slice.

"You don't like pepperoni?" Darcy gave a Loki-shrug. "That's cool ... it's just the most popular kind of pizza. I personally like the pineapple with bacon because I like sweet and salty things. Gotta have balance, ya know," she winked.

Loki held her eyes a little too long for her liking, but then changed the subject ... "I like this 'movie' as you call it, but for someone with so many powers, this Superman is an incredibly boring individual. He's even more boring than Thor, if that's possible."

Darcy thought about it ... "maybe he was just too well-adjusted from being brought up in Kansas and all. Too wholesome."

Loki turned his head and looked at nothing in particular. "His adoptive parents loved him ... treated him as if he were extraordinary. No choice but to be anything but boring."

Darcy didn't realize when she put the movie on, the parallels that Loki might notice … a baby from a different world feeling different and strange in his new land … and she wasn't sure if she should push him into talking about it. This could backfire, badly.

She decided to go for it, thinking of her morning conversation with Natasha. "You think that your adoptive parents didn't love you? I've heard differently."

Loki said nothing, just set his jaw in a hard line.

Darcy decided to confide a little ... "I was raised by my natural parents … but I don't think they loved me very much. Everyone has their issues." She told the truth.

Loki turned and scowled at her. "I doubt that. You play around as if you haven't a care in the world. What could your parents have _possibly_ done to you, Midgardian," he said with an Arctic chill in his voice.

_Ouch. Watch how I stay unaffected, Asgardian._

"You really want to know?"

Loki's scowl softened and he shrugged. "I don't have anything better to do these days, so why not?" He tried to sound nonchalant, but Darcy could tell that he was curious. She knew when someone was paying attention, as she had lived a lot of her life with people who didn't pay attention at all.

She thought for a few moments about what to say ... "at least your parents were together," she began. "My parents divorced when I was two. They remarried, and all of a sudden I had step-siblings and eventually half-siblings. My mom didn't have anymore kids of her own … she acquired two step-kids with her new husband, but I think she was better off as a stepmom. I'm not sure she should have ever had a child. She's very cold. Married to her work, her research. Never satisfied with anything, especially what I do with my life. Sometimes I doubt she's a real person, more like robot. I'm not even sure she has actual feelings, just ... modes."

Loki peered at her for a long pause, probably trying to discern if she was telling the truth. "And what of your father?" he asked. It was apparent that Loki had more problems with fathers than with mothers.

Darcy took a deep breath ... it wasn't the easiest thing for her to talk about. But this was for work, right?

"My dad is different. He's warm, when he's around. Funny and charismatic, like a southern gentleman out of a novel ... but he's not the type of guy to be very attentive to his kids. He's another workaholic, a civil rights lawyer, always caring about other people. He's been married three times because he's always caring about other people, and is never at home. I also have three half-brothers and a half-sister, stretched between two stepmothers, which seriously divided his time when he was actually with us."

She thought to stop at that, but kept on talking, telling him things that she hadn't even told Jane. Confide a little, indeed.

"I decided that I should major in political science and eventually go to law school, so I'd have something in common with my father … so he'd maybe pay attention ... so silly." She shook her head. "He told me once that I was good at arguing, and it was actually one of the only times he noticed that I was good at something … but all it ended up being was a waste of time and money. I hated political science. So I ended up with a few pieces of paper that cost over $100,000, and are totally worthless."

Loki appeared to consider what she'd said, and then leaned towards her. "But did they ever _lie_ to you?"

Darcy thought about it for a second. "No. I'll give them that. They never lied to me, but I don't think they ever cared enough or thought about me enough to lie ... I always had to figure out everything on my own. I did a better job at some things more so than others."

"Which parent raised you?" Loki asked.

Darcy laughed, "I raised myself, but I mostly stayed with my dad in New Orleans because I loved it there. My grandmother was more of a parent. I'd stay with my mom during holiday breaks sometimes, but after awhile I didn't like being around her. Like I said, she's … cold. My stepdad is a drip." She stopped there, unable to talk about her mom anymore.

"That's enough about them," Darcy waved them away. "I was always closer to my friends. I have a few in New Orleans that are closer to me than siblings … and that's how it is with Jane … and Eric. I see _them_ as my family." That's it, she thought. No more.

As she was done confiding, and Loki had decided to just stare at her, probably in order to determine whether or not she was lying, Darcy decided to push.

"Was your mother warm?"

Jane had described Thor and Loki's mother as being indescribably beautiful and kind.

He looked away, finally.

"She was," Loki said softly ... with a tone in his voice that she had yet to hear out of him. Raw emotion. Humanity. Loss. Sincerity.

Natasha was right. He did spill, with those two words.

Darcy looked down. She suddenly wished she wouldn't have asked. She was starting to feel guilty for getting personal in an attempt to extract information and gain the upper hand. Loki was obviously still devastated by his mother's death. This whole thing was humanizing him, and she desperately wanted to keep him at arm's length … she didn't want to see him as a person with actual feelings.

_Well, this is awkward._

"I'm sorry, Loki," Darcy simply said.

He looked so sad and so alone sitting there, that she couldn't help but feel for him. She felt compassion that she wasn't supposed to feel. She was sure that no one had even hugged him or tried to comfort him after his own mother died. Darcy took a deep breath and reached over to squeeze his hand. It was a common human gesture to express sympathy for someone who was grieving ... that's all.

He blinked at her a few times and then squeezed her hand slightly back ... but abruptly let go and quickly stood with his back to her.

_Shit. Is he crying?_

"Loki? Are you okay?" Darcy really felt awful now. Weird. She felt bad for a terrorist.

He kept standing for a few moments, and then turned back around. His face looked entirely pleasant and unaffected. A mask. "Perhaps we can next try that movie with the little Yoda man," he said, changing the subject. It was something she could relate to. Darcy was also great subject changer.

She smiled, another mask. "Of course! _Star Wars_ is pretty amazing stuff. I'll bring the movies tomorrow."

She stood up. "It's getting late and I've still got some work to do at home."

Loki nodded.

It was of course, a lie … but she wanted to get out of there. And either he didn't detect the lie, or he didn't feel the need to bring it up so that he could be alone as well.

"Good night," Darcy said genuinely as she picked up her handbag. "Enjoy the rest of the pizza. Taco Tuesday is tomorrow … ever had tequila?"

He looked up at her curiously, "I can't say that I have."

"Hmmm … and yet another reason as to why Earth is better than Asgard … tequila. Rest up."

She gave him a smile and a wave and walked out the door with Natasha's words in her ear … _stay detached. Never start empathizing. It's part of the job._

_Part of the job. Part of the job. Part of the job._

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

_AN: In this world, Marvel = real, obvs ... but DC = fiction. Also fiction are Marvel things that will never show up in the MCU, like X-Men (for the most part).  
_


	11. Chapter 11

XXX

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

The evening's little heart to heart with the God of Mischief was keeping Darcy's mind occupied, so much so that she was having trouble sleeping. More like tossing and turning. Why was she feeling compassion for him when logic kept telling her that he was a bad guy. Well, Spock she was not, because not only was he bad, but he was actually _THE_ big bad guy during the Battle of New York, or so we thought. Fury's words actually kept haunting her … _Loki _was_ the bumbling side-kick. We just didn't see the puppet master._

Who was the puppet master? Was he really being influenced by dark energy somehow? Has he calmed down after taking a ride on the crazy-train to Psychoville?

Aside from being a royal dick to her the first time they met, and the general weirdness she now felt around him due to Thor's suggestion that he was attracted to her, Loki wasn't really so bad. Sure, he filled her office with M&amp;Ms, but she had been bracing herself for payback ever since Tony Stark warned her about tricking the damn god of tricking. And to tell the truth, she was expecting something much worse … or hurtful. But it ended up being candy. Fucking candy.

One thing was for sure, she wasn't anywhere near a Natasha Romanov-level of being able to stay disconnected. Darcy didn't know if it was just because she was really bad at this whole spy thing … or if she genuinely didn't think Loki was all that horrible. But how could she not think Loki was horrible? He was responsible for so much destruction in her world. How many deaths did he cause? How many homes were destroyed because of the chaos he unleashed?

Darcy got out of bed and paced around her apartment until 2 AM, trying to get a grip on herself. Thor had told Jane that he'd hit rock bottom after his mother died … that something in Loki had changed. He helped to save the universe. He helped to save Jane's life. Now he was all alone in that white room. Why did her instincts tell her to feel empathy? Didn't he deserve to be locked up?

She thought about the differences between Loki and the Avengers … Thor used to be a war-happy arrogant asshole, and now he was totally cool. His banishment to Earth humbling him and shaping him into a decent guy.

Tony Stark was also a seriously cool dude, but it took him a little while to become a hero. Before creating the Iron Man suit, it seemed like all he did was party and whore around the world, only stopping every once in awhile to be a genius weapons manufacturer. And how many people did all those weapons kill over the years?

Natasha and Clint were not always on the side of the good guys. Natasha sometimes talked about having red in her ledger. How much suffering were they responsible for before they started working for S.H.I.E.L.D? What had inspired them to turn from the dark side of The Force?

Even Bruce had his demons, a literal one that turned him into a giant green killer … though it wasn't necessarily his fault. As Dr. Banner, he was a very sweet man. Kinda dorky, but sweet. Adorkable.

Only Steve was squeaky clean. Only Captain America. _Sigh … Steve_.

And what had shaped Loki … what lead to him going off the deep end, so to speak? It was after learning of his heritage. That he was born on Jotunheim. A Frost Giant. Darcy knew a few kids who had trouble learning that they were adopted … granted, they usually just got into a few fights at school, maybe went out drinking … tried pot, lost their virginity at 12, that kind of thing. They didn't try to kill their older brother and then unleash an alien invasion with plans for world domination, but details!

Maybe what Loki simply needed, was a friend. Thor had mentioned something about how if they had Tyrion (who was a fictional character, but whatever) at court, maybe Loki would not have felt so out of place. That implied that he hadn't felt accepted on Asgard.

So he had always felt unaccepted and then found out he was adopted. That's way harsh. On the other hand, he was adopted by a damn king and queen who made him a _prince_. He could have wound up in some Frost Giant orphanage, but he became a _prince_. _Waaaaaaaaahhhh._

That's like, every adopted kid's dream.

There had to be something more to the story, but Darcy didn't know if she wanted to find it out. She might have already gotten too close, and talking about each other's lives put them on the path toward friendship … but would that be so bad?

She was afraid that she was getting played, though. Afraid that this might be all one big scheme, a part of a labyrinthine plan. She didn't want to be a pawn. Was she being used in some way?

Darcy honestly didn't think so ... but even Loki had called her naive.

She really hoped all this thinking and pacing around wasn't just a whole convoluted justification for feeling compassion for him. She already had quite the history of being drawn to the archetypal "bad guy", her dating life had been littered with them … it would just be her luck that she happened to be assigned to _the_ quintessential bad guy.

All these questions and "what if's" …

Darcy decided to go with her gut. She would try to be his friend, but with caution … she already had "Good Steve" as a friend in New York, now she could have Evil Steve". Balance. It was important.

And for Loki, maybe having a friend or two would go a long way toward preventing another mental breakdown and subsequent acquiring of alien army to invade a planet.

She remembered how paramount her friends Jules and Scott had been while growing up. If she hadn't had them … who knows how she would have turned out. They had all pulled each other out of some very dark times ... helped and supported each other. Loki didn't exactly have a lot of support, especially now that his mother had passed away. Thor, of course, would always be supportive, but Darcy figured it would take a lot of time for them to be friends again, as well as brothers. They both needed time to heal.

She lifted up her t-shirt that she slept in to look at the tattoo she'd gotten several years earlier. It sat below her navel on her lower abdomen, across her sacral chakra. A beautiful fleur-de-lis that looked like it had ivy curling from it and around it. Her two New Orleans friends also had one as a reminder that they would always be connected, always be family. The three prongs of the fleur-de-lis represented each friend with a different color. Aqua-blue for Darcy, purple for Jules, and green for Scott. Not quite Mardi Gras colors, though that was a good thing, because then it would have been tacky.

Maybe Loki just needed a team. Some partners in crime … though not _literal_ crime.

Her instincts told her that Loki needed friends. He needed to belong … somewhere.

Darcy had been tasked with helping him to assimilate, which meant to help him belong on Earth, in America … New York City. She would start off by being a friend.

He would_ only_ be a friend. An incredibly good-looking, tall, dark and sexy, albeit bat-shit crazy … friend.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Taco Tuesday was to be held in the S.H.I.E.L.D. break room so that Darcy could introduce Loki to a little diversity … show him that Americans celebrated all sorts of cultural backgrounds, and to serve the food that was prevalent in New Mexico, where he tried to blow up a whole town … but she wasn't going to mention that part. If she didn't have too much tequila.

She emailed Jane to tell her that the venue had changed for the week, who then responded that since she had to work late, the switch would be perfect and she'd drop by later. Thor and Dr. Banner also accepted invitations, as well as Steve, who she hadn't seen in a few days. Clint was apparently out on a mission, unfortunately, and Natasha wasn't answering her messages.

After making the initial dinner plans, Darcy spent the rest of the morning looking into the strange coincidences that Ian had come across … wondering if the same kind of thing was happening with prisoners in The States.

She had looked over his findings and they did seem very strange. They were the type of prisoner that only MI6 knew about. These were not your run-of-the-mill murderers and thieves … these were the guys bent on real destruction and power on a very large scale, the kind the public couldn't know about. The kind of criminals like Loki.

There were five of them. Some of them had strange powers … others seemed to be mutants, and in order to be locked up, they required some very creative means of incarceration. It was all very disconcerting.

As a level 7 agent, she had access to much more intelligence than she had at a level 6. She found that she no longer had to hack into certain databases … she could just go to them. Still, she knew that she could be tracked, so she employed her ways of staying undetected while searching prison records from the facilities that required maximum security. Ultra security.

After only searching for an hour, she found two such prisoners. It was reported that each of them were suddenly being much more compliant and less volatile. The meditation was chalked up to spending so much time in solitary confinement for one … and the other was so insane that any kind of strange behavior was seen as normal. The first was at Ryker's Island in New York, located near the Bronx … and the other was stashed away in an area at Angola of all places, that was highly classified. Maybe she could get Natasha to go on a mentor/protegé ride with her to question the guy in New York.

Darcy decided to call Ian up and discuss her findings with him … later. She also filed the info away to be shared with Agent Coulson, though he spent most of his time in the air these days. She'd have to email him.

At around 5, she finally decided to let Loki in on her dinner plans that she'd arranged specially for him. Even though she had made the decision to try and be his friend, she still felt a little strange about it.

Darcy texted him … it much less nerve-wracking than calling. "_Dinner in the break room at 6? I brought the tequila. I'm making blue margaritas_."

"_Why blue_?"

Darcy thought that was a very strange response.

"_Because I happened to have a bottle of blue curaçao, and the more liquor the better_? _Why does it matter_?"

He immediately responded, "_I will be in attendance. Bruce Banner has already informed me_."

Weird. He sounded maybe a little too formal … a bit stand-offish? She shook her head … she was over-analyzing like she would with someone she was dating.

_Bad Darcy!_

She stood up and looked down at her dress, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles. It was a bit bohemian and twee for her taste, but it was comfortable and it looked good on her. A knee-length peach flowy dress with a big pretty belt around her waist. She looked positively hour-glassy. Joan Holloway from _Mad Men_ would be proud.

For the evening, she decided to nickname the break room the "_Bar-ship Enterprise_" because of how much the room reminded her of _Star Trek_. To set up, she started making margaritas for everyone in a state-of-the-art Vitamix supplied by S.H.I.E.L.D. … she was amazed how they really did think of everything, they even made sure to have only the best blender available among the break room appliances.

"Need some help?" It was a welcome voice.

Darcy turned around. "Steve!" She beamed … "I haven't seen you in a few days!"

He walked further into the room, shy smile on his face, and stood across from her at the prep table. "I know. There's been a lot happening."

"Level 8 things?" Darcy poured liquor into the blender along with some ice.

"Yes," Steve sighed, heavy-hearted. "Level 8 things. In fact, I think I'm going to have to go out of town soon. Agent Romanov is already gone."

"What? No! You have to see me and Jane perform "Shoop" at karaoke!" Darcy didn't want her friend to leave.

Steve smiled. Touched that she reacted in such a way. "Maybe we can make it out before I go, and if not … I'm not going away forever, Darcy. I'll be back."

"Promise?" Darcy's lower stomach tingled … she had a bad feeling. Spidey-sense.

"I promise, Darcy. Do you know who you're talking to?" Captain America did his chest-puffy thing.

Darcy smiled. "Of course I do … but I want to see you soon! Like, in a matter of weeks. Not in 70 years … got it?" She picked up the knife she had been chopping limes with and pointed it at him.

"Whoa, there!" Steve laughed and held up his hands. "Promise, I promise … I won't get myself frozen again for 70 years … okay?"

The spidey-sense didn't go away. She became serious. "Steve. You remember how to contact me when things go to shit, right?" It was a plan that she and Jane had devised two years back when … well, when Loki had his fit and they were spirited away to a foreign country. They created a method of communication that would be at best untraceable and at worst, seriously confusing to a would-be enemy. They had shared this strategy with Steve.

He looked at her in earnest. "I remember." He nodded. Darcy looked up at him thoughtfully. He was a super-soldier and he was lethal, not to mention 90 years old … but he still seemed so very young. So … pure. He had such a good heart and she didn't want anything to happen to him.

A velvety voice entered the room ... "are we having girls night?" Loki slowly glided over to where they were standing, hands in his pockets.

Darcy smiled sardonically and turned the blender on, the sound drowning out anything else he could say. Loki just grinned back, unaffected. He was wearing his suit and looked absolutely gorgeous in it, she noted. His seemingly effortless state of attractiveness was really starting to get on her nerves.

She turned off the machine and poured three glasses. "Margaritas? They're nice and strong."

"You know I can't get drunk." Steve said, taking one.

Darcy sighed dramatically. "So you say … but I'm not giving up. Somewhere out there is the right combination and strength. Maybe if I make you a daiquiri with a healthy dose of Everclear … "

"If I had my powers, I could certainly get around the condition that makes you unable to become inebriated. Darcy, are you still at work trying to get my magic restored?" Loki teased as he picked up his margarita and took a small drink, testing it out.

"I'm right on top of that," she said with as much sarcasm as she could muster. "How do you like your drink?"

"Enchanting," he said with his own sarcastic tone.

"Don't drink that too fast," she warned. "You don't want to get brain-freeze." Loki looked down at his frozen cocktail as if it had special powers, never having heard of "brain-freeze" before. Darcy laughed.

She held up her glass. "Cheers, you guys. To your safe return, Cap." Steve smiled and held up his glass. Loki felt himself relax … figuring out what they were talking about ... relieved that it wasn't as intimate as it seemed when he walked in. He held up his glass too, following suit.

Darcy clinked their glasses and took a healthy sip. There stood "Good Steve" and "Evil Steve" … the thought made her giggle.

The rest of the dinner went pretty smoothly. She had made her own special salsa and guacamole, but ordered everything else. Several of the agents she had met while shoveling candy out of her office stopped by, along with Bruce, Thor, and even Tony Stark.

She was happy to notice that Loki actually seemed pretty relaxed around Bruce and Tony … almost _friendly_? That was not something she expected to happen so fast. He must really be helping them out.

As the evening went on, Darcy discovered that getting S.H.I.E.L.D. agents drunk was wonderfully entertaining. She wondered if any of these guys ever got out … probably not, since Fury had entrusted _her_ to teach Loki all about American life. After two of her very strong margaritas, Bruce came up to Darcy and apologized for the prank that Loki had crafted. She was genuinely shocked when he revealed that it had been him and Tony that helped Loki bypass the security cameras and assisted him in ordering all the M&amp;Ms. Apparently they were all pals now … it was pleasantly astonishing. Well, except for that whole prank part.

She vowed to get Bruce back, she told him. And she didn't care if he turned into a giant green rage monster. She then told Tony that she felt betrayed … though she did it with a huge grin on her face.

By the time Jane strolled in, everyone was having way too much fun. Even Loki. Darcy was so happy that Taco Tuesday was a success, and that her Asgardian project was making friends, that she gave her friend a big hug when she came up to get a drink.

After talking with Jane and Steve about his upcoming travel plans in very vague terms … they made a date for one more karaoke night before he left. It was then Darcy noticed that Loki wasn't talking with Bruce and Tony anymore.

He was gone.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

After everyone had dispersed to go home, Darcy went to find Loki and see why he bailed. She had a pretty good idea of the person that had prompted him to leave, but she wasn't sure why. Plus, there were a few things that she wanted to give him. She went up to his room and knocked on the door, but didn't use the hand scan since it was kind of late, and who knew when he went to sleep. He could open his own door now.

He opened it almost immediately. "Darcy." Loki said, mildly surprised. He motioned for her to come in. He had changed out of his suit and into his more comfortable sexy uniform of jeans and perfectly snug green t-shirt. It looked as if he'd figured out how to order new clothes off the internet.

Darcy frowned. "Why'd you bail?" She sat her bag down and walked over to sit in one of the comfortable office chairs, smoothing out her dress. She still felt pretty tipsy.

Loki looked as if he was trying to choose his words carefully. "I didn't wish to be among the assembly any longer ... present company excluded." He smirked and sat down in the chair next to her.

"What gives? You were fine until Jane got there." The tequila aided her bluntness.

Loki smiled, "a mere coincidence."

"Bullshit." Darcy raised an eyebrow. "When Jane and Steve were here to watch that movie, you barely spoke, and when I asked about inviting her and Thor to the next one, you were like 'no way José' … and then tonight happened. Plus, a little birdy told me you've been trying to convince Thor that dating mortals is like, totally slumming it." She crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair.

"Birdy?" He found that amusing apparently.

"It's an expression. Whatever. Don't change the subject."

"Oh, but Darcy we are both so good at it." He grinned.

She leaned forward and peered at him. "Spill." She was almost shocked at how demanding she was being. Must have been the margaritas.

He noticeably took a breath and his face lost all expression. "You would not understand."

"Try me."

Loki shook his head … "It would just anger you and our acquaintance is fragile enough as it is."

Darcy leaned back. Hands in her lap. "I promise to try to understand. I'm not just some silly Midgardian, Loki … I'm actually trying to be your friend here … meet me half-way by having a tiny bit of faith in me."

There was what looked like a combination of pain and astonishment in his eyes at her words. Loki was not the type to have faith in people ... ever, let alone now. He closed his eyes and thought for a second. He feared that he would scare Darcy away … but she had been so open with him last night. He couldn't remember the last time that someone, a woman, had confided in him without ulterior motives.

He opened his eyes. "I cannot be near Jane Foster without thinking of my mother's sacrifice." Loki braced himself.

After he said it, Darcy's eyes did not convey anger, like he feared … instead they conveyed compassion. A surprise to him.

He continued. "The Queen of Asgard, The Realm Eternal, beloved wife of the All-Father, died protecting a mortal … a mortal who had somehow infected herself with an ancient power." Loki fought for control over his voice. "Everyone talks of her brilliance, but all I see is stupidity."

He paused to gauge Darcy's reaction, who still seemed to be listening.

"I helped to save Jane Foster because my mother perished protecting her … to let her die would mean that Frigga died for nothing. But when I see her, all I want to do is destroy. I want the world to burn." Loki looked at Darcy with an intensity that frightened even him, but she didn't waver.

"But I can't," he said. "I cling to every bit of control that I can muster ... because if I let the world burn, her death would be meaningless."

None of this surprised Darcy. She reached over and squeezed his hand like she did the previous night. "Loki. The Aether was going to end up in the hands of those elves one way or another … and we could have all been dead. All of us. But with the way everything went down … you and Thor, you saved us." Loki looked virtually stunned at being described as a savior.

Darcy let go of his hand and sat back … "I was there when Jane wandered into whatever portal sent her to the Dark World. There were all these kids running around and throwing random things into those portals ... watching them reemerge from impossible places. Just think if it would have been one of those kids that came into contact with the Aether. How much faster would those evil space-elves had gotten to it?"

Loki closed his eyes again. "I have thought about every single angle, every possibility, every scenario over and over again. I have stayed up nights, I sit in this room with only these thoughts … and the same conclusion is always met."

He took a shaky breath. "I know that what you say is true. With the convergence upon us, Malekith would have found the Aether regardless. Jane finding it led him to Asgard. If he would have been led to Earth first, the universe would have no doubt been covered in darkness and we would all be dead anyway."

Then rage flickered around his eyes. He opened them and hissed, "that does not negate the fact that the host who contained the Aether, a mortal, was protected by one woman, the Queen, and left in her rooms for anyone to find. They both should have been protected by an army!"

_Or they both should been protected by you_? He couldn't admit it yet and she dared not say it. It was obvious that he was carrying around some immense guilt.

Her heart broke for him. Loki was still going through the stages of grief. Bargaining. She was well acquainted with it.

Darcy scooted her chair closer to Loki. He had his eyes closed again and his hands were balled into fists. "Listen. Loki. I don't blame you for feeling the way you do. I would probably feel the same way. I think a lot of people would feel the same way," she said gently.

"It's important when going through loss like this not to be too hard on yourself ... on top of all the grief. How you feel is … how you feel, simple as that. You have to acknowledge your feelings so you can move on. Allow yourself to feel them … and eventually let them go so you can begin to heal."

He didn't respond, but there was a question on his face … _how do you know this_?

Darcy sighed. "But enough psychobabble. Do you want to hear a sad story in the life of Darcy?"

She liked to talk quite a bit ... she rambled, she said inappropriate and random things … but she rarely did this kind of talking. Confiding. She wondered why she was doing it, and she couldn't blame it all on the margaritas. There was a big part of her that wanted to help soothe him, because she understood what the anger was like.

Loki gave the slightest nod of the head.

Darcy took a breath. "My story is nothing like losing your mom … but honestly for me, it _was_ harder than it probably would have been to lose _my_ mom, which is really fucked up and cold-hearted on my part, but it's the truth." Darcy shook her head, uncomfortable.

"Anyway. Like I told you, I have two very close friends in New Orleans. We're a threesome … wait, that sounds weird … not like, in a sexual way, but you know … like three people who are really close. But up until just after high school, we were a foursome." It was Darcy's turn to close her eyes. She hadn't thought about this in awhile.

"My friend … my dear friend. Our sister. Ivy. She died in a car accident. I hated the world for a very long time after that. It happened only 8 months after Katrina … it was like blow after blow after blow." Darcy shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Who is Katrina?" Loki asked, obviously listening.

Darcy remembered he probably had no idea what Katrina would be. "Katrina was a hurricane. Do you have big destructive killer storms on Asgard?"

"Not like what you describe."

Sadness flooded her features. "This particular storm devastated our city in a way that I can't describe right now. Maybe I'll tell you that story another day." She said. Loki nodded slightly.

Darcy continued. "In probably the only act of parenting my father ever did, he forbade me from going out the night Ivy died. I had gotten into a horrible fight with my brother and he grounded me."

A bitter smile formed on her lips. "Then I laughed in his face because he was actually acting like a dad, at 18 years old … so I wasn't allowed out of the house. He took my phone away, changed our wireless password, weird normal parenting things … and I couldn't go with her."

Darcy absentmindedly rubbed the back of her neck, agitated. "Ivy liked this good-ole-boy who had a brother … and we were supposed to go on a double-date. But she went by herself. It was foggy … there was a drunk driver … she was thrown from the car. Everyone else miraculously survived. And I wanted them all to burn for still being alive. Slowly. Painfully."

The memories still ached. "I _hated_ my dad for making me stay home … I convinced myself that I would have made her put on the seat-belt. I hated those guys for not making her do it. They showed up to her funeral … all bruised and beaten. One had his arm in a cast. Mere scratches compared to what happened to Ivy. Jules, Scott, and I ... we wanted to kill them."

Darcy had been looking at a wrinkle in her dress ... then looked Loki in the eyes. "But our anger was misdirected. It wasn't their fault. At the end of the day … it was that drunk driver's fault. And it was circumstance. There's a million "what if's", but they don't matter. You can't go back and change what happened."

"My grandmother said that an angel must have intervened that day … so I wouldn't be able to go. And it _was_ strange how it was the one day that my father decided to care." Darcy waved it away … "but enough about that."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I understand, Loki. I do." She squeezed his hand again. "I mean, it wasn't a crazy battle with masked elves and shit, and the entire universe wasn't at stake … but it was our teeny tiny universe that fell apart for awhile."

She made sure to look him in the eyes. "I don't blame you for not being able to be around Jane. But I hope that can change some day."

Loki, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders at Darcy's understanding, her words ... took her hand in both of his and squeezed back. He then brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them like an aristocratic gentleman in a period drama.

Darcy smiled, and after a few moments, gently took her hand back. "It's okay," she said and nodded. "I've brought a few things for you. Things I thought you might like … that don't have an alien theme. Or a 'chick flick' theme for that matter. More like magic and political intrigue. Loki things."

Loki smiled softly.

She took several books out of the bag she had brought with her. The _Harry Potter_ series … she figured he might relate to it, because magic.

She also brought the series that _Game of Thrones_ was based on … Thor liked the TV series, but she figured Loki would appreciate the books first.

Then she took out books by Steven Hawking and Neil deGrasse Tyson. "I don't know if you've read these … or if these works would be like reading children's books for you, but I love learning about this sort of thing. All this "Universe" stuff and "Through the Wormhole" stuff blows my mind … like, in a good way. And it kills less brain cells than drugs."

He laughed softly ... "I will give them a look."

"Oooo, also for next time." She set down the _Star Wars_ series, episodes I - VI. "Don't watch these without me."

"I swear it."

Darcy laughed. Loki and Thor's chivalrous language was ridiculous, but deep down she thought it was sweet. "It's late … time for me to catch a cab home."

He walked her to his door. As she was about to walk out into the hallway, Darcy decided to let go. She turned back around and threw her arms around him. She couldn't reach Loki's neck comfortably because he was quite tall, so she wrapped herself around his torso.

She could feel him stiffen at first, as he was unused to people hugging him, showing him affection … but then he slowly brought his arms around her and into a tight embrace, that only grew tighter after a few moments, like he was hanging on for dear life. He bent his head, closed his eyes, and breathed in the scent of her hair ... it smelled of some exotic flower he hadn't the name for. It made him far more intoxicated than her frozen drinks.

Darcy had her ear to his chest and she could feel his heartbeat.

_So … aliens had hearts_, she thought. It was a comforting discovery.

When they broke the hug after a few long moments, she took a step back, looked up at him and smiled. "Goodnight, Loki," she said … and then turned around and walked down the hallway.

He didn't go back inside his room until she was completely out of view.

As she left the building, her head was spinning … though it definitely wasn't from the margaritas.


	12. Chapter 12

XXX

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

"This is madness."

"This is America, Jack!"

Loki and Darcy were seated in her office. She had been spending most of the morning trying to explain the differences between political parties and the various branches of American government to Loki, of Asgard, who wasn't exactly coming to terms with the concept of democracy.

"I cannot imagine how anything in this realm ever gets done in this way." Having executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government just seemed like a huge waste of time and energy when you could just have a king and be done with it.

Darcy rolled her eyes. "I know it's gotta be confusing for you considering that you're from the intergalactic version of a sci-fi medieval times, but this is the best system we've come up with so far."

"Hmpf."

"It's also possible for someone to rise to a position by being smart and working hard. You don't necessarily have to win the social status lottery by being raised as a prince." She tilted her head and winked at him.

Loki just blinked at her, looking unamused.

Darcy sighed. "Alright. We can move on." She wanted to tell him some semi-good news.

She brought up her weekly report on her laptop. "I was going to tell you, actually … for my report this week, I'm going to tell the higher-ups that you're doing really well, learning fast, and I'm going to recommend for you to be able to leave the building and have your own place."

Since her conversation with him last night, Darcy didn't want Loki to be in his room all the time, alone with his thoughts. She thought it might actually be more of a risk to keep him contained in a small space. An ankle monitor should work just as well, and he'd have more access to distractions that would aid in relieving his grief.

Darcy's announcement perked him up. "Would they allow it?" He had the slightest bit of hope in his voice.

"I hope so," Darcy said. "I'm trying to be as persuasive as possible. You'd be getting a place at Stark Tower, which quite honestly, is your best bet here in New York. For one, it'll be free … which is a great perk they give to some of us for working at S.H.I.E.L.D., and the apartments are so nice and big. Usually places in New York are ridiculously expensive for something the size of a glorified closet."

"Stark Tower. This is where you live?" Loki shifted in his seat and adjusted the cufflinks on his shirt. The thought of living near Darcy made him feel much too giddy. He was not a schoolboy.

"Yep. It's where I live. Free wi-fi, cable, and there's even a pool." Darcy left out the fact that Jane also lived there and happened to be her next-door neighbor.

She continued, "I'm pretty sure that I can get Bruce and Tony to recommend you as well. Seriously, I'm kind of amazed at how well you guys are working together, considering that you once threw Tony out of a window, and orchestrated a plan for Bruce to lose control and Hulk-out on that helicarrier," then she thought of all that green candy … "but I guess pulling pranks brings people together." She smiled, sarcasm written all over her face.

"They are both surprisingly insightful and entertaining, and they don't trust S.H.I.E.L.D." Loki gave a nod. "I like that about them."

It made sense to Darcy. "Tony's always had his own agenda. I guess I can see why you would get along."

"And for a Midgardian, Bruce Banner is … quite bright."

Darcy laughed, "Holy shit! I think you just paid an Earthling a compliment! Will the universe now implode? Dude. You're going to lose your superior space-race card if you're not careful. Your arrogant-Asgardian cred is gonna get damaged." She waved a finger at him.

Loki went back to his unamused blinking, but it was a mask. Her teasing made him want to do so many things at the same time … he wanted to laugh, he wanted to tease her back, he wanted to hug her again, breathe in her scent … he wanted to bend her over the desk … lift up that cute skirt of hers …

Darcy broke him out of his daydream, "after you're allowed to leave the building, we'll have to get you a haircut though. I don't think anyone would recognize you, but just to be on the safe side."

He shook his head. … "I'm sorry, cut my hair?"

She had no idea where his thoughts just were. "Not terribly short, but like … maybe to your chin? Your ears?" He seemed distracted, she noted. Perhaps he didn't want to go too short.

"I've seen pictures from your last, um, visit … you look a lot different, so you don't have to chop _all_ your hair off. You've lost that sickly death-pallor you had. No more dark circles under your eyes, you actually look like you've spent the last several months in a spa instead of locked up. After a trim, you should be good." She sat back and admired him. He looked so different from the manic sickly guy from the Battle of New York reports.

Loki nodded.

Darcy blinked, coming back to Earth after her attractiveness assessment of Loki Odinson. "I think the only hurdles to jump through would be Agent Barton and Agent Coulson. They read my reports first before handing them to Director Fury."

"What is the problem?"

Darcy picked up her pen and tapped it. "Well … you kind of mind-controlled Clint. He's still pretty salty about that. And then you kind of uh, killed Coulson."

Loki winced. "Coulson is alive and well, is he not?"

"Yeah … but, he went through some shit." She looked down, suddenly full of sorrow. Out of every horrible thing that Loki did, his attempted (or more like straight-up) murder of Coulson was the thing that made her blood run cold. Darcy felt a lot of affection and respect for him. She might be able to forgive Loki for many things, but she doubted she could forgive what he did to Phil.

Loki sighed. He could tell Darcy had become upset, and they had come so far. He had no desire to take steps back when he so wanted to move forward.

"Darcy," he said quietly ... "I was under the same kind of thrall that Clint Barton was under. Every negative emotion was heightened. My anger ... my rage, was amplified ... all harnessed by a dark energy, which was connected to the gem inside of the scepter."

Darcy frowned.

He continued ... "it was what compelled me to put the scepter through Agent Coulson's back." The thrall had turned off a switch inside of Loki. He didn't care who he killed, as any death would have been an offering.

"What do you mean?" Darcy was confused.

"That 'death-pallor' that you spoke of. The thrall has distinct characteristics. Dark circles under the eyes … all color fades from the skin, takes on a bluish tint. Your body becomes unnaturally warm, so there is constant perspiration. It's all very uncomfortable, but you do not care."

Darcy thought this over for a second. Clint and Erik both had those symptoms but with one distinct difference ... "but your eyes weren't ice blue like the others."

Loki nodded. "You are right. They were not. The difference being that the darkness inside of me was exploited and amplified, and I was kept in that state by the scepter. I was told that I would be its master ... but in all actuality, I was its slave. Clint Barton and Erik Selvig were under a spell that I crafted from the gem's energy. I wasn't as far under as they."

Loki internally cringed thinking back on it all ... when he woke up in the morning, he certainly hadn't planned on talking about this. "But in reality," he said, "I was even more gone. I was quite mad then."

"And now you're not?" Darcy thought for a second that Natasha would be proud … she didn't even _try_ to make him talk about this.

He continued his story. "It is terrifying, what falling into an abyss for what feels like years or decades will do to your sanity. I had no concept of time. It might had been a century, I knew not. When I was found … I had very little of my mind left. I could have probably been talked into anything, just for the chance to feel my feet on the ground. Or to feel anything, really … certainly death would have been welcome. Anything other than nothingness."

Darcy thought this sounded a little deep for a morning conversation. It took her a minute to digest what he was saying.

She finally responded ... "so you _didn't_ want to take over our world?"

Loki thought for a second. "A big part of me did. I wanted vengeance."

"Vengeance for what?"

"I was betrayed." He paused and then amended his statement. "I _felt_ betrayed."

Darcy did a mental recap in her head of Loki's ride on the crazy train. First, he felt unaccepted all his life, never quite measuring up to Thor. Second, he learned that he was a Frost Giant, adopted, different all along. He started going off the rails … feeling betrayed by his family, and his people. He then took a nose-dive off the Bifrost and fell into a space abyss … and was eventually found by some kind of evil Sith-like entity and put under their influence. She knew there were cracks that needed filling in, but Loki's story got more interesting by the day.

"Have you told anyone about the influence you were under?"

"No."

"Why not? Everyone might have gone easier on you."

Loki started to get defensive ... "I did not and do not need for anyone to 'go easier on me'. I did what I did. My mind was gone and yet I had spent centuries training my magic and control. My descent should not have been met with so little resistance on my part."

One thing Darcy had learned from her interactions with Loki … he might not show it to the world, and it manifested in some pretty ugly ways, but it seemed like he was pretty hard on himself. Dude had some serious issues, one of them being pride. It sounded like he didn't want to admit to Odin, Fury, or anyone, that something had had a hold over him … because he was Mr. Magic Man and therefore should have been impenetrable.

Darcy softened her voice to try and calm him down a little … "Loki. Everything you went through, on Asgard. I mean, it doesn't sound like the most, umm … liberal, or open-minded of places. If you fight or wrestle with something for so long, eventually … something's gotta give. Sounds like it was your sanity."

Loki gave a slight shrug ... "Midgard has somewhat different views on such things. A mental breakdown is viewed as an illness. You have doctors to find the root of the problem. It's treated as a sickness, like a virus, with a scientific solution." He didn't like admitting that Midgard could be more progressive than his world, but he went on. "Asgardians view a mental breakdown as a total weakness of the mind, body, and soul."

Darcy knew that Earth once thought that way as well, but she had grown up in a different time. "Well, that's a bunch of bullshit if I ever heard any. I've always been of the opinion that the smartest and coolest and most talented people, tend to go at least a _little_ crazy for awhile. Some even embrace the crazy." They looked at each other for a few moments.

She changed the subject. "I still don't understand why you wouldn't just mention that there's an evil mind-controller out there."

Loki shivered. "It's like in your books about the young wizard … no one wanted to mention the dark lord's name … they didn't wish to utter the word 'Voldemort'. They called him 'You Know Who'. I would rather not think on it."

"Shit, dude. That's scary." Darcy thought on all of his revelations for a second. "If you don't tell anyone this stuff … not even Odin, or Thor, or Fury … why do you tell me?"

Loki answered her question with another question. "Why do you tell me about your life? Your past experiences?"

"I don't know."

"I do not know either. Perhaps it's because you … how did you put it, 'embrace the crazy'?

Darcy opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a knock on her office door.

After yelling to whoever it was to come inside, she was met with a huge bouquet that practically took up her whole doorway.

From behind the mass of flowers, she recognized a security guard from downstairs. "Delivery! Where would you like these, Agent Lewis?"

"Ummm … I guess on the desk?" Both Darcy and Loki stood up. Darcy was shocked. Loki looked irritated.

The guard set the flowers down with a loud thud. "These arrived for you late afternoon, yesterday. Here's your card."

Darcy took the card ... the envelope had been opened. "Why am I just now getting them? And why is my card opened?"

He had the tact to look a little guilty. "Sorry ma'am, but it's protocol. They had to be checked for bugs, bombs, or even poison … you understand. And especially since they were ordered from overseas."

Darcy's brows furrowed. "Overseas?"

_What the hell? … oh, shit._

Darcy could already feel the need to roll her eyes. She looked at the guard. "I understand. Thanks," she said quietly. He nodded and left.

She stood back to look at the flowers. They had Ian written all over them. A nice big bouquet. Beautiful, lovely, a cookie-cutter arrangement, and nothing she would have ever picked out for herself in a million years.

"So it seems you have admirers on different continents?" Darcy had almost forgotten that Loki was witness to this and she was suddenly embarrassed. He had an eyebrow arched and a smirk on his face, but he didn't look amused. In fact, he looked a little scary. It was a bit unnerving.

Darcy shook her head. "Just one."

She opened her card.

_Darcy,_

_I decided to surprise you. I'm being sent to America for a few days! Hopefully these flowers will beat me there. I leave today, should be there tomorrow._

_I've missed you._

_Ian_

Darcy set the card down and put her face in her hands. "Fuuuuuuuuuck," she muttered into her fingers.

"Do women on Midgard not like to get flowers?" Loki went from being a bit scary to being confused.

She looked up at him and shook her head … "whhyyyyy?"

"I do not think I understand."

She started to pace as much as she could in her little office. "I moved across the Atlantic Ocean! What makes him think this would be a good idea?" She wasn't really talking to Loki … it was more like she was talking to herself and he happened to be in the room.

"Do I have to send him that Taylor Swift song? Hey, Ian … 'we are never ever ever getting back together'!"

Darcy moved back around her desk and slumped in her chair … put her face back in her hands.

"So from what I gather … these feelings are unrequited on your part?" Loki asked, peering from around the flowers.

She knew she probably wasn't making too much sense to him at the moment. "They're from my ex-boyfriend in London. He's decided to pay me a surprise visit, lucky me! And since S.H.I.E.L.D. decided to wait and give these to me today … the surprise is going to happen a lot sooner. I'm so not prepared for this."

Darcy's intercom buzzed and an assistant came on the line, "Ms. Lewis, you have a visitor downstairs in the lobby. Mr. Ian Boothby of MI6."

Darcy groaned, slid off her chair, and ducked under her desk, as if she were protecting herself during a tornado warning. She brought her knees up to her chest and bent her head.

"Ms. Lewis?"

She heard Loki chuckle. He pressed the button and answered for her. "She might be a minute. Or two."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Loki was not happy.

At first, Darcy's behavior toward her former lover's visit was comical. She acted in such a way that he almost felt sorry for the poor fellow.

But then he laid eyes this Ian, as he was called. From Darcy's reaction, Loki didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't this. The ex-paramour turned out to be a strikingly handsome young man. He dressed well, obviously wanting to impress. His hair was perfectly trimmed and yet disheveled. This was a trend he had noticed among Midgardians ... they liked to spend hours in front of the mirror trying to make their style look effortless and natural, as if they just rolled out of bed that way. It was maddening.

Loki had rather foolishly coaxed her from under the desk, so that she could go downstairs to fetch him. She reappeared minutes later, when the two of them emerged from the elevator, with Darcy looking much more relaxed and cheerful … and this Ian, he looked positively blissful, his smile taking up half of his face.

Loki wanted nothing more than to wipe the toothy smile right off his visage. He had several creative ways to do it with magic … but since he had none, he wouldn't mind at all to do it with his fist.

As Darcy and Ian walked the path to her office, she noticed Loki leaning up against one of the security desks, casually watching them. She smiled and walked up to introduce him.

"Ian, this is Luke. He's one of my new S.H.I.E.L.D. friends. He works with Dr. Banner."

She described him as a friend, not a work colleague, not an assignment, and not as a project. He was a friend. It was better than he expected, but it still stung in a way that he wasn't expecting.

Ian held out his hand. "Cheers, nice to meet you." He seemed genuinely happy to be meeting Darcy's friends. What a fool.

Loki had grown quite fond of looking down at Midgardians, literally, as most of them tended to be shorter than him … but this one was the same height. Blast him.

"Likewise. I hope you enjoy your stay," Loki said through his teeth.

Ian's eyes lit up. "Are you English, mate?" He had detected an accent on Loki.

Darcy intervened, looking up between the two of them. "He's not from where you're from, Ian. And he's definitely not an Arsenal fan … or a Chelsea fan, or a Man United fan for that matter, so don't bother him with the soccer talk." She started to drag him inside of her office.

"It's called football, Darcy!" Ian managed to say before she shut the door.

Loki headed back to the lab and thought about the time he coaxed the Hulk out of Dr. Banner. Perhaps it would be fun to try that again …


	13. Chapter 13

XXX

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* * *

"I've missed you, Darcy."

Darcy had put her bouquet on the floor so that she could see Ian across from her desk. She was determined to make this as professional as possible. One agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, one agent of MI6. Talking shop.

She looked at him for a second. He looked good. Like, really good. "Thanks for the flowers, Ian."

But not so good that she was going to forget why they had broken up. "So why did they send you to America?"

Ian's smile lost a little of its luster. "Darcy. Are you happy to see me?"

She didn't want to seem ungrateful, and it was nice to see a friend. "Of course I am." She smiled. "I've missed you, too."

Darcy had forgotten exactly how handsome Ian was. His boyish smile. His adorable thick accent. If she wasn't careful, she was going to fall back into old habits. Sleeping alone had its benefits, but it did get lonely. Even if it wasn't about sex, just being in the same bed with someone familiar sounded alluring and comforting.

Ian relaxed a little into his chair. "They've sent me to have a meeting with Director Fury. We've discovered a few things that he needs to know, and it wasn't exactly something that could be said over the phone … or through email."

"Does this have something to do with those prisoners you found?"

"No. Actually, the strange behavior that I discovered from those prisoners was because I was researching something else entirely. That whole thing was a bit of a byproduct, really."

"What were you originally researching?" She asked.

"I was looking into making sure that a few people were where they were supposed to be."

"Soooo ... I'm guessing that the reason you're meeting with Fury isn't something you can tell me? And that's why you're being intentionally vague?"

Ian nodded. "I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "It's cool." There were plenty of things that Darcy didn't tell Ian about, like Loki's real name … so she didn't mind the secrecy.

"It seems like you're moving up quickly, Mr. Stats Man." Ian was actually a pretty brilliant statistician, proving to be very helpful to Jane in her research for a little while back in London, which was what put him on the M16 radar ... that, plus being involved with the whole saving the world from evil space-elves thing.

"You look good, Ian. MI6 agrees with you." She grinned. "Have they assigned you a number yet? Are you 008? 009? Obviously 007 is taken."

Ian laughed, "You know that's fiction."

"Or so we think. With all the things I've seen the past few years, I have no idea what's fiction anymore. Hell, hobbits and orcs might be real for all I know. I'm actually kind of holding out hope that Peter Pan and Neverland are real. If Thor and Asgard are real, then why not?"

Ian sighed. "I've really missed you."

Having just made her uncomfortable, she decided to serve up a classic Darcy "change of subject". "So have you found out anything else about those prisoners? Something you can tell me?"

He nodded. "I've found a few more. I'm beginning to wonder if there are people outside of prison, you know, just walking around and doing the same kind of thing … and I only found the ones who are locked up because of what I happened to be searching for."

"That's a scary thought. I've found two myself. Have you gone to visit any of these inmates?"

"No. I've been too busy with my other assignment."

"Would you like to go visit one?" Darcy was itching to get out of the building, and away from being alone in her office with Ian.

"Sure!" Ian was excited to be able to work with Darcy again. Partners. "No time like the present."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

"Ummm, Loki? Why do you keep playing that Taylor Swift song? It's starting to freak us out, buddy."

Loki had been driving Tony and Bruce crazy all day in the lab. For the first time since he'd started working there, he refused to do anything except be a dick. He insisted on staying at his desk, fiddling around with his laptop.

They had all been working together so well, three brilliant minds going back and forth, speaking their own language of science and making serious breakthroughs in their gamma radiation research and how to put it to use in new weapons … but then Loki had suddenly retreated back into the surly shell he was in when he was first banished to Earth.

Tony walked up to him, "You okay there, Prancer?"

Loki looked up and glared, "I do not wish to be in your presence today. Now move along." He made a dismissing motion with his hand.

Stark was confused. "Did something happen?"

Loki wasn't in the mood for this … he wasn't about to have a heart-to-heart with Tony Stark about how Darcy was now in her office with her handsome ex-paramour, behind closed doors … so he deflected, and confessed to something that was bothering him far less. Why lie when you don't have to? There's so much less to remember later.

"That man over there." Loki pointed to one of the young scientists who had been helping out for the past few days. "He's been lying to you since he got here. And he's very bad at it. I cannot be near him."

Tony put his hands in his pockets and swiveled around to look at the accused. He just looked like an eager kid fresh off the boat from M.I.T., looking far too young and frail to be dangerous.

Tony inclined his head to ask another question, but Loki was done talking, going back to his laptop. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm done conversing."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Flashing her level 7 S.H.I.E.L.D. badge was starting to get fun. It seemed like it could take Darcy anywhere … and whenever someone tried to deny her access, all she had to do was the cool badge flashy thing. Like in the movies.

At Ryker's Island, Darcy and Ian had no trouble requesting an audience with Weird Prisoner Number 1, some Greek dude named Dominikos Petrakis. Apparently he could manipulate energy in some crazy way, so he was kept in a special cell, and usually people only communicated with him from behind custom-made mutant-proof glass.

Darcy insisted that she speak to him face to face, which took a little persuasion, but she finally convinced them to let her try. She told the guards that she was a level 7 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent for a reason and could very well take care of herself. It was a bit of an exaggeration—or a lot of an exaggeration—but it got her in.

As she walked in the interrogation room, Ian tried to come in with her but she refused to let him, thinking that the prisoner might be more receptive to a lone non-threatening woman.

"I'll be fine, Ian. I've got my new taser," she winked. It was a lot smaller than the ones you can get at the run-of-the-mill weapons depot and tackle shops, but they packed the exact same wallop.

"I'm not comfortable letting you go in there by yourself." He looked worried.

"Don't do that protective man thing, you know I hate that. I'll be fine. I've got good vibes on my side, remember?" Considering she survived an attack on her small New Mexican town and that whole convergence thing in London, she was pretty sure that some meditating prisoner wasn't going to take her down too easily.

"It's cool, Ian," she reassured him. "Just sit in the viewing room. Sound the alarm if anything happens."

"Right."

Darcy walked into the room where the prison guards had set Mr. Petrakis up at a desk. His hands were bound behind his back with a pair of cuffs that looked like they were made up of a robot snake. It totally made her feel like she was in an episode of _Bones_ or _CSI:Miami_. She suddenly wished that she had a pair of her shades so she could take them off dramatically like Horatio Caine.

She sat down across from him. "Mr. Petrakis."

He had been sitting quietly with his eyes closed, but he suddenly opened them. Darcy noted that he was a rather handsome man. Being Greek, he had an impressive head of thick black hair, but she could tell that what should have been a flawless olive complexion, was ashen and colorless.

The prisoner inclined his head. "What do you want?" he asked quietly, though not with malice.

Darcy smiled sweetly. "I'm just one of those girls who are big into yoga and I'm always looking to deepen my meditation practice. I was wondering if you could tell me about your technique?"

Petrakis laughed softly. "I suppose it was only a matter of time before they sent someone in here about that. I'm surprised it took them so long. And I'm surprised they've sent someone to sit in the same room with me."

"How long has it been since you sat in a room with someone?"

"Years. They're too scared."

"Then who puts the cuffs on?"

He raised a dark eyebrow. "They make me put my hands through a hole and these are applied. A door opens. I'm allowed to walk in here. They only talk to me through the glass there." He looked over to where Ian sat watching, though it looked like no one was there at the moment. An illusion.

"Why are you not afraid?" he asked.

Darcy sighed. "Maybe I'm just reckless."

The prisoner smiled and shook his head slightly. "You hide something." He leaned forward. "You have an energy about you."

Darcy leaned forward too. "Every woman has her secrets," she said very quietly. "Now, please tell me … what's up with the yogi shit?"

Petrakis sat back and took a deep breath. "The darkest parts of the universe call. Much energy is being expended to find the traitor." He suddenly looked very uncomfortable, perspiration forming on his brow.

Darcy noticed that he looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. Because of his Mediterranean complexion, she noticed that she had missed the subtle dark circles under his eyes.

She chose her words carefully. "Why are you called? You specifically?"

"Don't you know? I'm a bad guy," he said this with a large amount of sarcasm, one of Darcy's most fluent languages.

"And you're of the opinion that you're not?"

He shrugged slightly. "Some of us walk the line between light and dark."

"So, what … you were enticed by the power of the dark side?" Working for S.H.I.E.L.D. had given her plenty of opportunities for _Star Wars_ references over the past few months and she couldn't resist.

"Sometimes it feels pointless to deny it." He said, looking full of sorrow.

"So who is it that calls to you?"

The prisoner paused for a few moments. "The one who courts death," he said finally.

"Well, that's creepy." Darcy wondered how much longer this guy was going to be cooperative. "How does this person call to you?"

"First, it's only in dreams … and then eventually, you fall." Petrakis inclined his head, "I can show you, if you'd like. You'll be able to see, I can tell. Put your hand on my shoulder."

This was probably not a good idea, but Darcy was tired of the riddles he was speaking in. She was hoping to get some better answers, so she stood up and walked over to him.

Her spidey-sense told her that the guy meant her no harm. It seemed like he had spent so much time alone, that his mind had gone a bit soft, and that any crimes he had committed in the past, had been more than atoned for by being locked up in solitary confinement for years.

As Darcy put her hand on his shoulder, she knew that Ian was probably going ape-shit behind the glass, so she held up her other hand toward the viewing room to let him know she was okay.

"Close your eyes," Petrakis said.

As soon as she shut them, she felt vibrations run up her arm, which scared her at first, but she pushed through it. With her eyes closed, all she saw was darkness at first, but then slowly it seemed as if stars were appearing and then what looked like a breath-taking galaxy emerged, with colorful nebulae and what seemed like whole other worlds off into the distance. If this was where Petrakis went every time he meditated, she understood why … it was so peaceful and beautiful here.

She then heard, or more like sensed, a distant call that sounded so sweet and inviting, so full of promises … and so easy to answer. All she had to do was give it her attention, but she knew better. Underneath the enticing call was a darkness, it was a seductive darkness, and in the end she knew it would be venomous.

Her arm then started to vibrate more noticeably and it started to get uncomfortable. Her lower stomach started to hum and she opened her eyes, a small flash of blue energy bursting between Darcy and Petrakis.

She released her hand and jumped back. The prisoner was looking up at her, nodding. "You don't want to go any further than that. He could get ahold of you."

Darcy sat down, mystified. "What happens after 'he' gets ahold of you?"

"Then it's not so peaceful anymore. You cannot sleep, you never get any real rest. You can only meditate, hearing the call … over and over again." He started to twitch slightly and looked as if he was beginning to get rather agitated, perspiring even more. She figured she should wrap this up soon, before something unfortunate happened.

Darcy had one more question for the time being. "Who is the traitor you spoke of?"

Petrakis looked at her intensely. "The great failure. I would only know him if I saw him, and I see no one." He seemed to calm down a little bit. "I have no hope that I'll ever find him myself … but it's only a matter of time before someone does. He calls to all with dark energy, with dark magic, to every corner of the universe. _Someone_ will find him."

"What happens when this 'great failure' is found?"

Petrakis closed his eyes. "Then I can finally sleep. We all can." He blinked them back open. "Do you know where he is?"

Darcy gave a Loki-shrug, noting that her new friend was having way too much of an influence on her. "I don't even know who you're talking about, man. You've been speaking in riddles since I got here, and all I saw when I touched your shoulder was the inside of a planetarium. Not much help."

The prisoner shook his head. "No. You have an energy about you, I can feel it ... and now since you touched me, I'll always be able to feel it. I know you sensed something more. I know it," he said between his teeth, and then lowered his voice to a whisper. "Do you know where he is? Please. Please find him. I am going … mad."

"You would have to draw me a better picture, dude. So far, all you're telling me is that the person you're searching for is male." Darcy leaned over. "Only in riddles, you speak," she said, very Yoda-like.

Petrakis then closed his eyes and the room started to vibrate, the table shaking so hard that it was starting to jump up from the floor. He was beyond agitated now.

Darcy stood up and backed away from the table. The prisoner opened his eyes and stared at her. He started to say over and over, "please … please find him." It became like a mantra.

Something clicked and Petrakis' chair retreated suddenly into the floor while he was simultaneously flung back to the wall, his cuffs being attracted to a magnetic strip behind him. More cuffs remotely came from below and were suddenly fitted to his feet so he couldn't move, though he began to struggle while saying his mantra over and over again. The room began to vibrate violently.

"Darcy, get out of there. Now!" It was Ian's voice on the intercom.

She realized that she must have been in shock watching all of this unfold. Darcy gathered her wits together quick enough to run out the door before the prisoner started screaming his mantra.

Ian was running to meet her down the hall and she leapt into his arms, letting him wrap them safely around her.

Darcy knew she was fine, but she couldn't help but think of Petrakis locked up in that room, day in and day out … his mind failing him. The isolation as well as the influence that had a hold on him, was driving him insane.

It reminded her of someone, and she was suddenly very afraid for him.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

In the cab, on the way back to Headquarters, Darcy got a phone call. She really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, but she took her phone out of her handbag to see who it was.

_Tony Stark. Whaaaaaaa?_

She answered weakly, shocked. "Hello?" The day was full of surprises and she was getting tired of it, but a call from Tony was about the only welcome one so far.

"Kid. Prancer is really starting to get on everyone's nerves around here. Do you know what the hell happened to him? He's acting like someone ran over his pet bilgesnipe."

Darcy attempted to bring herself back to reality and away from what she'd had on her mind since leaving Ryker's Island. "Ummmm … well, I talked to him this morning. I mentioned that he might be getting his own place soon. Maybe he's just tired of being boxed in? He might just need a little air."

"Maybe." Tony didn't think that was quite the problem. "Tell me hon, where are you this lovely afternoon?"

Darcy wondered if she should reveal what she had been doing. "I was out doing some work with one of my contacts at MI6."

"MI6? Oh, sure." Tony knew who Director Fury was meeting with later that day, a statistics wiz. "Sir Ian Fleming, former boyfriend. Smart guy from what I hear."

Darcy rolled her eyes. He was a very smart guy indeed, though she wasn't sure how much common sense he had. It was too bad he used so much of that brain on soccer statistics … which he was currently looking up on his phone as he sat next to her in the car.

It was all starting to make sense to Tony. The suggestion of more freedom for Loki just as her smart and good-looking ex-boyfriend came into town. Yep, that had to sting. It looked as though Prancer had a bit of a crush, and poor Darcy was oblivious to it. Tony didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or be very worried. He ended up doing the former, deciding that quite possibly, Loki hadn't gotten laid in decades, perhaps even centuries … it would certainly go a long way towards explaining why he had become so angry that he wanted to take over the world. The guy needed some serious stress relief.

Tony actually found himself feeling sorry for him. "Is there any chance you could come back here and give Loki a Midol? He's starting to piss Banner off, and we all know what happens when you piss Banner off."

"I'm still about 20 minutes away and stuck in traffic." Darcy then remembered the trick she had put together for Bruce's promised payback, though it really wasn't much of a payback since you couldn't do anything to anger him.

"I actually have something to send to Bruce," she said. "It'll cheer him up. And when I get back, I'll talk to the dude." Darcy didn't want to say Loki's name in front of Ian, even though the only thing he was paying attention to at the moment was soccer scores.

"Gotcha. Hurry."

"Tony … he might just be having a bad day. He's actually really … " She didn't want Loki to lose the connection that he had miraculously made with Stark and Banner.

"I know, kid. I know." He hung up the phone.

Darcy was glad that Loki seemed to have at least another person on his side. He was going to need it.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

An assistant walked into Dr. Banner's lab carrying a huge white gift-bag that Darcy had stashed in her office.

"Dr. Banner? Ms. Lewis called and wanted me to deliver this to you."

Bruce looked up from his work, confused, but took the bag and dismissed the assistant.

Tony glided on over, smiling, hoping this wasn't going to end up biting him in the ass, as he noticed they suddenly had Loki's attention since he had heard Darcy's name mentioned.

Banner opened it up and looked inside. He then looked up at Tony, a blank look on his face. He did this several times, looking into the bag and then back to Tony.

"Cats."

"Come again?" Tony was beyond curious now.

"Cats. She got me a bag full of cats." Bruce started laughing.

Tony walked over to look in the bag. It was filled with small stuffed animals, all cats. He remembered the conversation he had had with Darcy when Loki had upset her upon their first meeting. He had told her about Banner's impression that her new assignment's brain was a "bag full of cats". He shook his head … damn, the girl was good.

Tony pulled out a note that was stuck inside the bag and gave it to Bruce, who had a bit of trouble reading it, he was laughing so hard.

_Bruce,_

_When things get tough, just look inside._

_When things get tough for me, I just look at a picture of a horse._

_XOXO Darcy_

It was Tony's turn to laugh. He looked over at the bud of the joke, who happened to be staring a hole into them. It was a good thing Loki could have had no idea what it was actually about.

Stark decided to test out his theory about Loki crushing on one Miss Darcy Lewis.

"Bruce, I'm tellin' ya," he said. "The girl is brilliant. If you don't snatch her up, someone is going to do it soon. Maybe Rogers … or that Brit, you know, The Spy Who Loved Me ... he's on Her Majesty's secret service and conspiring to win her back."

Bruce shook his head, but he still had a big smile on his face. "Tony, she's too young for me."

"Nonsense. She's perfect. She could really even you out, help you relieve a lot of stress, and those, you know ... rage issues. I mean, _that rack_."

"Those DSL," Banner said, still chuckling.

"Bruce! I'm shocked. You know what DSL are? I had no idea you had such a dirty mind."

Their banter was interrupted by the sound of the lab door slamming shut. Loki had officially quit the room.

Yep, Tony thought. Prancer had it bad.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Tony found Loki sitting in the break room, reading, which was about the last place he figured he'd be. Maybe the guy did need to get out of that barren room, breath some fresh air. It could account for some of the dickish behavior. Not all of it, but some.

Stark took a chair across from the brooding Asgardian. "Look. I get it. She's a lot of fun … not to mention very easy on the eyes. And apparently the girl is full of mischief … and I see that you would like her to be full of, um … _your_ mischief." He twitched a smile.

Loki looked up from his book and cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Listen." Tony went on ... "you may not believe it, and Pepper might tell you differently, but I _do_ know a thing or two about women. And I promise you, if a woman is really into someone, she doesn't move to a different country. She stays. Darcy didn't stay."

Loki still said nothing.

Tony sighed. He was getting nowhere, so he decided to take a different approach. "How is it that you realized the new kid was lying?"

Loki finally decided to speak up, always happy to state his regal title. "I am the God of Mischief and Lies. I no longer have my magic, but I still have my senses."

"Right. Well, after you pointed him out to me, I did a little digging … and his story doesn't seem to add up."

"I don't doubt it."

"I also don't understand how he made it past S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vetting system so easily."

Tony decided to make Loki an offer he hopefully couldn't refuse. "I'll tell you what. You figure out who the kid is exactly, find out what he's doing here … and I'll get you moved out of HQ and into Stark Tower in a matter of hours. Bruce and I might have to move our work there anyway. Leave Fury and Coulson to me. I'll even get you moved into the apartment right across from our favorite funny girl, if that's what you want."

Loki raised an eyebrow and grinned. "You have a deal, Tony Stark."


	14. Chapter 14

XXX

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* * *

Loki was happy.

As it turned out, the young scientist that he and Tony had discovered, wasn't actually that young. He only looked to be about 23 years old. In reality, he was several years older, using the fact that he appeared youthful and green to his advantage.

Through a series of questions, Loki learned that the man was not Dutch like he claimed, but was in fact Swedish. He became worried that given where he was from, the liar would more easily recognize the Norse God of Mischief, but he actually seemed to believe that his last name was Prancer, since that was all Tony Stark called him around the uninitiated. Bruce Banner at least had the courtesy of using Loki's alias, Luke.

The best part was, that this Swede didn't even realize he was giving himself away, as he was asked simple "yes and no" questions. "Luke" had pretended to make conversation while performing some tests, and the fool was only too happy to talk, as though he thought he was getting information out of Loki as well. He shook his head at the thought … _amateur_.

After only an hour, he figured out several things. One, he was of course, Swedish. Two, he was there to steal information on new weapons. And three, he was a relative of an infamous former-S.H.I.E.L.D. prisoner, who was now deceased.

With these facts alone, Tony Stark was able to decipher exactly who the man was, though his actual identity wasn't shared with Loki. Stark had rather hurriedly left the room as soon as he discovered the truth by looking up a few things on his tablet, and Loki didn't really care to know the details. He already did what he had set out to do.

What he did know about the Swede though, was that he was actually wanted in Europe for espionage and theft of classified information. He was now hiding out in The States as he was being actively looked for by MI6. Loki was willing to bet that this little development would be cutting into Darcy's idiotic ex-lover's plan to woo her into reconciliation.

It really couldn't have worked out any better than if he'd planned the whole thing from the beginning.

Loki slinked back to his chair and put his feet up on his desk, hands behind his head in a relaxed pose, as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents poured into the lab pointing their guns at the unsuspecting fool. He was relieved that for once, the agent's guns were not pointed at him. It was all rather entertaining. He quite liked being on the other side of these things. Trickery, but with the weapons being dispatched upon someone else in the end. He could perhaps get used to this.

When Tony Stark returned with Nick Fury and Ian in tow, Loki figured it was a good time to take his leave.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Darcy sat alone in her office. Door closed. Music turned up. As soon as they had gotten back from Ryker's Island, Ian went on to his meeting with Fury, and even though she had said she'd go and talk to Loki, she just needed a few minutes to decompress. A few minutes turned into a lot longer as she brought her chair over to the window and sat cross-legged while listening to Nine Inch Nails at maximum volume. After awhile, she just kind of zoned out.

As far as the "traitor" or "great failure" went, Darcy was pretty certain that Petrakis was talking about Loki … unless there was some other intergalactic super-villain out there who was supposed to execute some huge diabolical plan and failed … one with the same trademark death-pallor, perspiration, and dark circles under the eyes.

Should she still push for him to be let out of the building when one of these minions of "The One Who Courts Death" could be walking around to spot him? Was there any way that she could protect him from being found?

The first thing she had done upon returning, was send a few pics to her friend Jules in New Orleans. She also made sure to tell her that the situation was seriously on the down low. Secret. Classified. No one else could know, save for her grandmother, Miss Ramona. Jules and Miss Ramona were both voodoo priestesses, Jules being young but quite strong, and her grandmother being the most powerful queen in recent memory. Perhaps they could shed some light on the kind of spells or magic at work here.

Darcy had sent pictures of Clint and Erik while they were under Loki's compulsion, and then one of Loki himself during the battle of New York, as well as a pic she had obtained from Ryker's Island of Petrakis. She'd made sure that her message to Jules was untraceable, but she didn't even want to think about the laws that she broke by showing civilians such classified items.

She really didn't know anyone else to turn to. Her S.O., Natasha, was gone on a mission. She didn't feel comfortable bringing up the situation with Clint, given his sensitivity on the subject, and she couldn't go to Thor without telling Loki as well, as that would just feel too much like a betrayal on her part. Her only other options were scientists, and they were never much help in these matters … they were much too logical about this sort of thing, and their formulas could only help so much. Darcy needed someone who knew about magic. Dark magic.

Someone who wasn't Loki. Someone who wasn't attached to the situation and could think clearly. There had to be a way to protect him … though the plan to locate him seemed rather brilliant, hooking those with dark energy or magic into being controlled. Never allowing them rest or sleep until the "great failure" was found. These people who were already unstable to begin with, would be driven insane until someone found him.

How could Loki stay safe? She wondered how it was that this person, this thing, this entity, hadn't found him already, since he had his own magic … though at the moment, Loki had none. His magic had been taken away. Maybe that's what had saved him for the time being. Maybe he shouldn't try to get his powers back anytime soon.

What Darcy _did_ know was that she didn't want to alarm Loki just yet … at least until she had a few answers. He was already dealing with enough for the moment, his emotions were fragile. He was still grieving so many losses. The loss of his mother, the loss of his home from banishment … and on another level, he'd lost his father and of course, the former closeness with his brother. She wasn't sure how much more he could take before descending back into darkness. She wanted to help him step back into the light.

The thought made her cringe. How many "bad boys" had she tried to save? Although they had been mortals, Earthlings, Midgardians … or losers, as her mother would call them. The boys with potential, diamonds in the rough. She liked them like that … a little rough around the edges. A little lost. Darcy wasn't sure what it was about her that attracted such guys. Maybe it was because she had always been a little lost too and she just wanted some company. Or maybe she had a messiah complex, who knew.

It had been awhile since her last entanglement though. After the last bad boy ended up tearing apart her emotions as well as her sanity and ended up in rehab, she swore them off … promising herself that she'd only date normal dudes from then on. But all that ended up doing was leave her incredibly bored. Ian was the last foray into the world of nice normal boys … and she was pretty sure that she was done with them too. That didn't leave much left.

Darcy wasn't exactly someone who believed in love anyway, never having seen a great example of it in her own life. It all just sounded like fairy tales to her … pipe dreams. She had decided that if she couldn't handle bad boys any longer, and if the good ones bored the shit out of her … then she'd just have to stay single. Get a vibrator. A relationship with a vibrator. Pathetic.

Or maybe Jane had a point. She had said once that Darcy liked the bad boys because they would probably never pan out, so no chance of a long-term commitment. And she was never too interested in the good ones, the wholesome ones … she claimed boredom, but perhaps that was just a defense mechanism she used to not get too close. Open up. Let her guard down. But in the end, all the saccharine-sweet lovey-dovey bullshit those nice guys did made her eyes roll involuntarily. And want to puke. Why was this, when other girls ate that shit up?

But more than that, why was she thinking about all of this relationship crap when she was supposed to be thinking about how to protect Loki? He was not her boyfriend. He wasn't even some guy she was hooking up with. He was her _friend_. Her very sexy friend … who could rock a v-neck like no other. And a three-piece suit. Or whatever the hell else he chose to wear.

She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind of all these thoughts … and just concentrated on Trent Reznor's voice. No more Loki. Only Trent. No more Loki … only Trent.

Loki.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Loki walked up to Darcy's office, but the door was closed. She had to have been in there alone, since Ian was obviously in the lab with the discovered Swede. He knocked on the door, but there was probably no way she could hear it due to the loud music coming from inside.

He found the door unlocked, so he opened it to see her sitting cross-legged in her chair, her back to him, scooted up to the window. She wasn't aware of the door opening behind her. He walked up and saw that her eyes were closed, so he reached out and touched her shoulder.

"WHOA DUDE WHAT THE FUCK!" Darcy's eyes shot wide open and she nearly fell out of her chair.

"I assure you, I knocked!" Loki said, rather loudly, trying to be heard over the music.

"WHAT?"

"I knocked!"

She got up and slid her chair back to it's normal place behind her desk, then turned the volume down on her speakers she had hooked up to her iPhone.

She glared at him. "You scared me! Don't do that!"

Loki shrugged. "Honestly, there wasn't any other way to get your attention, the music was so loud. Are you not supposed to be an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Should you be allowing others to sneak up on you like that?"

Darcy narrowed her eyes. "You're right. My mistake was in not locking my door," she said angrily.

It was not his intention to make Darcy mad. He sighed. "I … I apologize for frightening you."

He had never apologized, or at least _implied_ an apology, so much to a woman that was not his mother. He was starting to wonder what had come over him. Midgard had changed Thor … what in the living Helheim was happening to him? What was it with this place?

Darcy laughed. "Whoa, an apology from a god! I'm honored … and I forgive you. Now … what's up?" She gestured towards the empty chair across from her desk.

He sat, agitated. "What is this … music? That you are listening to?" It was certainly very odd, nothing like Loki had ever heard before.

"Nine Inch Nails? It's probably not the best thing to listen to as your first taste of Midgardian rock music ... like going back-door before you get to first base … but it helps me to chillax, helps me to think."

Loki furrowed his brow. He could only imagine what "back door" and "first base" meant and made a mental note to check the Google oracle when he returned to his laptop. But the "music" she was listening to ... it surely had to have come from some ghastly underworld.

"_This_? helps you to think?" He was sure that he could use it as a form of torture back on Asgard.

Darcy smiled. "It's cathartic. I've listened to Nine Inch Nails since I was a misunderstood wee lassie who wore too much eyeliner and loved skater boys. Trent Reznor is one of my top 5 rock gods."

"_Rock_ gods?" This was the first time he had heard of such gods.

"Oh yeah," she nodded, then realized who she was talking to … a guy who actually thought he _was_ a god. "He's not really a god, he just kind of steps into a sort of Dionysian role when he's on stage … and he's damn good at it. Come to think of it, if you really want to conquer the world and like, get people to love you. And I mean, _really_ really love you … becoming a rock star is the way to go. People _love_ Trent Reznor. I even know straight dudes that would go down on him."

Loki looked confused. "You have more of these gods?"

"Sure. There are plenty of legendary rock stars. Like, David Bowie. He's another favorite of mine." She pointed to a new poster she'd put up in her office of Bowie looking dapper in a white suit.

"So that man is not a relation?"

Darcy laughed. "I wish, but he's only my husband in my dreams, unfortunately."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Midgardians are so peculiar."

"Whatever, dude. You don't have legendary musicians on Asgard?"

"No. Not like you seem to have. We do not hang up likenesses of those we are not related to."

Now it was Darcy's turn to be confused. "You don't have anyone who's revered? Respected for their talents? Legendary? People with fangirls and boys?"

Loki thought on it for a second. "Yes. We have warriors. Perhaps a few scholars. A healer or two."

Darcy frowned. "Midgardians are peculiar, you say? Well, Asgardians sound _boring_," she said with conviction. "Present company excluded, of course. I don't think I would have made it through high school without rock music. I don't get it, dude. Art just makes life so much more … like, sweeter. More tolerable."

Music was such an important outlet for so many people … it was no wonder Loki turned out the way he did if his society only seemed to revere warriors in such a way. It all sounded downright depressing.

"There are artists on Asgard," he said indignantly.

"Name one."

He blinked, defeated.

Darcy grinned. "I'll make you a playlist you can listen to on your laptop. I'll be gentle with you at first, no Nine Inch Nails ... something pleasant and atmospheric like M83 ... or fun, like 80's Michael Jackson. You'll love it. And then maybe I can take you to a concert."

Then she remembered he was still bound to the building. "Or … I'll take you to a concert when you're able to get out of here."

Loki's demeanor instantly changed from miffed to strangely excited. "That's what I came here to tell you," he said. "I struck a deal with Tony Stark and fulfilled my end of the bargain. I will be leaving this building."

Darcy smiled, curious. "What did you do?" This probably wasn't good.

"I simply uncovered the truth about a new employee who was lying about their intentions." He smirked.

"Whoa, sounds like your inner polygraph test is being put to good use. Who did you find?"

Loki shrugged. "He was a weak liar, some fool that was wanted by the agency your ex-paramour works for." A slow smile crept upon Loki's face. "I'm afraid he'll be leaving soon to escort the man back to his country."

"Ian's leaving?" Darcy's raised her eyebrows.

"I'm afraid so," Loki said, in mock sympathy.

"Loki! That's awesome!"

He inclined his head. "You wished him to leave?"

Darcy chose her words carefully. "Well, I mean, it was nice to see him. He's still a friend … but I could tell that he came here with ideas, and I didn't want to hurt him." She paused. "I don't like being put in those types of situations."

"But whatever!" Her demeanor suddenly changed. "You're breaking outta here! We need to celebrate. Get a few people together and go out. Loki's first night on the town … this should be interesting." She smiled and brought her fingers together like Mr. Burns from _The Simpsons_, making her look positively wicked.

"And they call _me_ the trickster."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Darcy was not happy.

She was cool with Loki living in Stark Tower, but living right across the hall from her? So not what she had imagined.

She called Tony up immediately. "What the hell, man?"

She had come home from work to find movers carrying in several boxes, the possessions that Loki had accumulated during his short stay on Earth. When she'd asked who was moving in, they told her "Luke Owens", an associate of Mr. Stark's.

"What?" Tony feigned shock. "I thought you'd be happy to have your friend in mischief as your neighbor. All the better to keep your eye on him."

"This wasn't what I had in mind."

"Well, then Thor will be able to look after baby bro better this way." He knew that the God of Thunder was currently shacking up with Dr. Foster.

Darcy didn't think it was a good idea to have Loki so close to Jane. "Did you not get the memo that they're not exactly best buds these days?"

"Then it's perfect! They'll have ample opportunity for brother bonding time. It'll be fun. They can have a slumber party. Watch _Point Break_ and _Reindeer Games_ on Netflix."

"I don't know how good of an idea this is …"

"Listen, kid." Tony's voice dropped and got quiet. "I'm going to be uncharacteristically serious here for a second, which doesn't happen often, so you should feel pretty awesome and honored right now."

This got Darcy's attention.

"Here's the thing. Only the most trusted S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are offered the privilege of living in Stark Tower, mainly because of a deal I struck with Fury. There are absolutely no listening devices allowed on the premises, and the building is swept regularly for bugs. The only reason why I'm talking to you now on the phone is because inside the building, if there are any bugs on your phone, the sound will be scrambled. Of course, Prancer's room will be monitored by J.A.R.V.I.S., which is the best way to go about this, because it is of my opinion that he's better off with me than he is at HQ." He paused. "The guy we caught today is bad news and we're damn lucky that he didn't figure out who Loki was."

"Who was he?" Darcy was beginning to get scared.

"Someone who should not have been there. And the fact that he was, makes me trust S.H.I.E.L.D. even less than I did before, if that's possible. Since MI6 already has a claim on him, he's being extradited back to London tonight with your man, The Spy Who Loved Me, and a few of our agents. Fury is leaving for D.C. to make sure a project there is going smoothly. Coulson is on his air-bus with his own band of merry misfits. So that leaves you, me, Thor, Clint and Banner to look after our beloved Asgardian. He can't fall into the wrong hands, you dig?"

"I dig." Darcy thought for a second. "What about Steve?"

"Cap will be going to D.C."

"Oh." She wasn't ready to relinquish her "Good Steve" just yet.

"He'll be okay, kid. He's practically indestructible."

"Yeah … " She said, sounding incredibly sad.

"So do you understand why Loki needs to be near you and Thor?" Tony figured he'd killed two birds with one stone by moving him in near Darcy and Thor. It made sure that people Stark trusted were keeping an eye out, and also placated Prancer at the same time.

"I understand," Darcy said quietly.

"Good." His tone switched back to classic Tony ... "and the two of you better not do anything like fill the whole hallway with Halloween candy, or nerf balls, or soap suds, or whatever, in your ongoing battle of the pranks."

"Hey! Who is the one that helped him with all that green candy?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Tony hung up the phone.

She was really starting to hate when he did that.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Ian had a little time left before he had to get on a plane back to London with the man they had in custody. One one hand, he was excited … bringing the guy back would certainly look good in the eyes of his superiors, he really couldn't have asked for a better opportunity falling into his lap. But on the other hand, he didn't get the chance to spend much time with Darcy, who was the biggest reason why he had wanted to come to America.

Ian figured they'd see the sites together, maybe go to a few shows, and maybe, just maybe … he could convince her to come back home with him. He knew it was a long-shot, but he wanted to at least try. Now, that would have to be saved for another time. Hopefully there would be another occasion soon.

He had asked Darcy to meet him in Central Park for their one sight-seeing adventure on his too-short trip. When she met him at the Bethesda Fountain, he urged them to start walking and took out his scanner.

"What's that?" Darcy looked confused.

Ian brought his finger to his lips in the universal sign to keep quiet.

He took out his phone and pointed to it, swiping the scanner over it … showing her it was clean. She took out her phone so he could do the same thing. Clean. He then swiped it over her purse. Clean.

He spoke up. "I just needed to make sure we wouldn't be heard."

Darcy's brows furrowed. "What's going on, Ian? This has been a really weird day … and I'm starting to get scared."

He guided them on down the path. "I'm about to bend a few rules here, but I can't leave without telling you what's going on. I can't go back to London without making sure that you're being as safe as possible."

"Okay?"

He spoke in a hushed tone. "That man your friends Luke and Tony discovered?"

She nodded.

"His name is Edvin Zola. He's the great-grandnephew of a notorious HYDRA scientist who did some pretty horrifying experiments back during WWII. Apparently, the elder Zola was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and eventually started working for them until his death. His nephew, though, is quite the nasty bastard. He's been wanted by MI6 for stealing intelligence for quite some time."

"Does this have anything to do with your meeting with Director Fury?"

Ian nodded. "Yes. I'd be in big trouble for telling you this, but I don't care." He took a deep breath. "We found a few loyal members of HYDRA within our ranks."

Darcy came to a halt. "Aren't they supposed to be wiped out?"

"Yes. They were. But it looks like they've resurfaced. That was my big project. After the double agents came to light, it was my job to figure out, statistically speaking, who else could be working for HYDRA using several factors, including their records in the field. The ones that were most likely to be traitors were put through vigorous questioning. It was also my job to make sure that all HYDRA prisoners that are still alive, were where they were supposed to be. Some were there. Some were not. The ones that were not there had to have been broken out somehow."

It all made sense to Darcy. "That's how you found the other prisoners? The ones going into the trances … your stats picked up something else."

"Yep."

"This HYDRA thing … is it why people are leaving?"

"Yes. Director Fury is apparently rushing to D.C. to oversee a big project that cannot fall into enemy hands. And Steve Rogers will be going too, but I don't think he knows the reason why yet, and you can't tell him. I'm risking a lot by telling you all of this. He'll find out in due time, if things go bad."

Darcy nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't deserve to have Ian care for her like this. She felt dazed. "Whoa … HYDRA. They were supposed to be defeated. Along with the Nazis."

"I know," he agreed. "But as they say, 'If a head is cut off, two more will take its place'. No one is sure how deep it goes. If HYDRA is hiding themselves in plain sight among S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ranks, things could get very dangerous. At the first sign of trouble, get out of town, Darcy."

She shook her head. "I'm an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ian … I can't just run away."

He put his hands on her shoulders. "You can. And you will. I don't want anything happening to you. I hope that we're all just being overly cautious. We were able to nip the HYDRA problem in the bud at MI6. But it could be different with S.H.I.E.L.D. and I'm not taking any chances with you."

Darcy closed her eyes. He was too good to her.

"One more thing," he said. She looked up at him.

"I know that your friend Luke is in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s protection for some reason, judging by the way Stark and Fury were talking about him in vague language."

Darcy nodded, but she didn't elaborate. She couldn't disclose who Loki was, not even to Ian. It wasn't her secret to tell.

"It's okay, Darcy. The less I know about him, the better. But what I do know is that he's obviously got a brilliant mind if he's working with Stark and Banner. They're doing some top secret work with weapons, and unfortunately, Edvin Zola now knows about it. I don't think he knows Luke's true identity, but Zola does know that a person named Luke exists and that he has superior knowledge of the project. And we don't know if the wanker has been talking to anyone … yet."

"Fuck." There were only a handful of people that knew Loki was alive, but if there were traitors in their midst, who knew what someone could have heard. _Fuck_.

"So listen to me." Ian bent down and looked her in the eyes. "If things go bad within S.H.I.E.L.D., if they can't nip it in the bud like MI6 was able to … you must leave. And take Luke with you."

All Darcy could do was nod weakly. What would happen if HYDRA got hold of Loki? Their plans, back in the day, were pretty much the same as Loki's had been. World domination. Would he turn willingly if he knew about their existence? She didn't want to think about it.

"It's starting to get really dark," Ian said. "I have a plane to catch, and I'm going to see you to a cab." He paused. "Will you contact me ... how you and Jane taught me? If things go bad?"

Darcy nodded and took two steps toward him to give him a hug. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, his familiar scent filling her nose. It was a mixture of masculine cologne and herbally aftershave. When they first dated, she thought the two distinct fragrances clashed, but now she thought it was perfect for him.

Ian bent over and picked her up so she was at eye-level, it was something he used to do when they were together, so she could comfortably get her arms around his neck. He rocked her gently, her legs swinging slightly.

Darcy buried her face in his neck. She felt terrible that she wanted him to leave earlier. Now she didn't want to let go. "Please be careful. Promise me."

"I promise."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Darcy was beyond weary … it had been a hell of a day. She walked down the hall to her apartment door with many things on her mind.

As she began to turn her key in the lock, a door opened behind her.

"Darcy." His voice sent vibrations down her spine.

She turned around. Loki was standing in his new doorway. Jeans. T-shirt. Barefoot. He actually looked quite at home. He actually looked kind of happy.

Darcy didn't have the heart to tell him that an evil space demon was after him, on top of the fact that HYDRA could be on his trail. It was just too much. Way too much.

And even though nothing had happened with Ian, they had only hugged in the park after all, she still felt strangely guilty for the tender moments she had shared with her ex-boyfriend. Like she had been cheating in some way … which was totally weird.

"Are you unwell?" Loki asked, noting that she looked a bit melancholy.

She smiled weakly. "I'm fine. It's just been a very long day. But look at you! Your own place. I'm happy for you."

Loki grinned. "Would you like to come in? I have your _Star Wars_ discs, want to watch one? I wish to see the little Yoda man. I have a shirt with his likeness on it, after all."

Darcy opened her mouth to decline … the whole way home, all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and fall into a blissful sleep. But the thought of turning her brain off to watch Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader sounded like an even better plan. She needed some smiles … and some Han Solo."

"You know ..." Darcy's weak smile turned into a strong one. "That sounds perfect."

She put her keys back into her purse and walked towards Loki's new apartment.

"There's just one thing I want you to know before we start the movie," she said.

"What's that?"

"Han shot first."


	15. Chapter 15

XXX

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

_Darcy opened her eyes and found that she was lying under the crepe myrtle trees in her grandmother's backyard, sprawled out in the grass, watching their small flowers float in the breeze. Every spring, tiny petals of pink and white would shower the avenues in a gentle blanket. It was one of her favorite times of the year … when the lazy heat started to roll in. Things always moved a little slower in Louisiana, no one was ever in much of a hurry, but when the hot weather arrived, exertion came to a screeching halt during the day, though the nights were laced with magic and fragrant, filled with music and possibility._

_It was her grandmother's haven, but it also wasn't. Things were too shimmery here, a little too bright, though not so bright that she had to squint. She could see perfectly. Everything. Even the tiny veins in the petals floating down around her face. The colors were so very rich, as if they were made with pure pigments. Darcy turned her head, her chestnut-colored hair fanned out around her, bronze highlights tumbling around her shoulders. Ivy was lying there right next to her, with blonde curls clashing with the emerald-green blades. It was something they used to do as children, lay in the grass and tell stories. Share dreams. Gossip like tiny southern belles._

_"You know I can only reach you in dreams of memories," Darcy's young friend said. She looked like a kid, being only eighteen when she left the physical world, but now had the eyes of an ancient wise woman._

_"I haven't dreamt anything in a long time," she said back, feeling the exact opposite, like she had grown so much older but hadn't learned a thing._

_"And you allow yourself now?" Ivy smiled at the thought of Darcy letting her guard down. All those walls._

_"I'm afraid I'm growing weak. I'm not sure what's happening. I'm scared … but I'm also … "_

_"It's okay, you know," said her dear friend, as if she was reading Darcy's mind._

_"What's okay?"_

_Ivy only grinned with a no-so-faint trace of mischief on her lips._

_"I see the afterlife hasn't changed you much. Are you happy here?"_

_"You know I am. I wish you'd stop being sad when you think of me. And you can tell him not to be sad either … or angry."_

_Darcy sighed. Life is so much more complicated for the living._

_"It's okay, you know," Ivy said one last time._

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Darcy shot up in bed. She could distantly hear the alarm going off on her phone. Something was wrong. It was too muted. She looked around, confused … vivid dreams always disoriented her, like she had blacked out the night before.

This was so not her bed. _Shit_. This was so not her apartment.

She looked down. _Hallelujah_! Clothes still on! _Thank God_. She looked to her side. No partner. And it didn't look like there had been a person beside her at any point, judging from the way the sheets and blankets were perfectly undisturbed to her right.

But this was obviously Loki's new bedroom. There wasn't much in it, just basic furnishings courtesy of Stark Tower, but he did manage to dress his bed up in golden sateen sheets that were probably at least a thousand-thread-count Egyptian cotton. On top was a luxurious green duvet. _Green. Why did he have to be so damn predictable?_

What had happened? Right. They had watched _A New Hope_ and _The Empire Strikes Back_. Darcy had been exhausted to begin with, and started to fight sleep sometime around Luke's training on the planet Dagobah. She managed to stay awake for her favorite part … when Leia told Han Solo she loved him, and he was like … "_I know_." She smiled just thinking about it. Han was so pimp.

She must have fallen asleep on the couch and Loki had to have carried her in here. The thought made her heart speed up a little bit. She hoped she hadn't been like, drooling or anything. That would have certainly been attractive.

Darcy realized that she couldn't see far away and looked around for her glasses. She found them on the nightstand. He must have taken them off, folded them up, and placed them next to her. Weird. She figured he'd be the type of guy that would just let her sleep on the couch … like, if he couldn't get a servant to pick up a passed-out girl for him, then he'd just leave her there. She found it surprising that he could be so considerate. Darcy faintly remembered Thor's words from several days ago … he'd said that contrary to what his recent behavior would lead one to believe, Loki had always been known to treat a lady like a gentleman. _Lady_ being the operative word, not peasant.

Darcy stood and smoothed out the clothes she had worn the day before, an a-line skirt with a blue flowery print and a plain dark-blue top. She couldn't believe she had slept in these clothes, the underwire in her bra was seriously digging into her skin. She wished she could just teleport into her bathroom so she could take it all off, but unfortunately, she was going to have to walk through Loki's place to get there.

Trying to think of what to do, she paced a few times about the room … she didn't want things to get weird, so she decided to just walk through the doorway and head out into the living area, cool as a cucumber.

After patting down her hair as best she could, Darcy walked down the hall and to the kitchen where Loki, naturally, was already awake and sitting at the breakfast table, looking at formulas on his laptop. He hadn't changed out of his clothes from last night either … probably because she had occupied the room where his wardrobe was kept. He also looked as perfect as always, not a hair out of place. _Fucker._

"I'm sorry, I guess I passed out," she said timidly. "You should have been able to sleep in your own bed on your first night in this place."

"It's quite alright." Loki shrugged, acting nonchalant, but he was more than happy to have her sleep in his bed. Pity he hadn't been in it as well. She looked positively delicious with her bedroom-hair and flushed cheeks. _Ahem_.

"The couch provided the most comfortable sleep I've had in some time."

_Well, that was sad_, Darcy thought. "Did you finish the movie?"

"No. You told me not to watch without you, and no amount of shaking or setting off explosions in your ears would have compelled you to awaken," he grinned.

"Oh. Sorry." Darcy was embarrassed. "I was exhausted." She went to get her purse off the counter-top where it sat from the night before, and took out her phone to shut the alarm off. It would ring again very soon as Darcy always needed at least three alerts to wake up.

She sighed, "I need coffee … and to get ready for work. I'll see you there?"

"Ah. No." Loki frowned, unable to mask his disappointment. "Tony Stark and Bruce Banner are currently moving their work here, so I'll be upstairs."

"Gotcha."

He quickly thought of something. "Have you made plans yet?"

"Huh?"

"Yesterday you mentioned, how did you say, 'a night on the town'?"

"Oh! Yeah." A nice distraction from space demons and evil new world orders would be welcome. "I'll figure some shit out." Darcy was still in a sleepy daze and she wanted to get out of there. "I'll text you later, my coffee-maker is calling to me."

She started to walk towards the door. "Oh. By the way, I don't care if your bosses complain, but I'm coming back to get you at two o'clock. You're getting a haircut today." She gave him a big smile, put her purse on her shoulder, and left before he could react.

As Darcy shut Loki's apartment door behind her, Thor fucking Odinson decided to pick the best possible time in the history of the world to open Jane's door. As soon as he saw her, his mouth spread into a big knowing toothy grin.

Darcy immediately put a finger in his face. "This is not what it looks like, Thor! So get those dirty thoughts out of your head!"

He only laughed. "What it looks like is that you are leaving my brother's quarters very early in the morning. What else could it possibly be?"

"Oh, God … I so don't need this right now." She hurriedly took her keys out of her purse. "We were watching a movie last night, and I fell asleep on the couch because I was exhausted. That's it!"

"Of course," Thor said, biting back another laugh.

Darcy fiddled with her lock, opened the door, and slammed it behind her. _Fuck_. If Thor didn't have ideas before, he sure was going to have them now … and he was going to be relentless.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Loki was left pondering his evening with his new neighbor. Darcy had clearly been tired, but was eager to view the movies with him. She obviously knew the movies by heart, and yet watched as though she was experiencing them through fresh eyes, as if she never tired of the tale of the wars between the stars, always finding something new to enjoy. There were also scenes where she would erupt into unrestrained laughter, even though she knew full well what was going to happen. She really was so very peculiar … and endearing, alluring … _intoxicating_.

After the princess confessed her love to the clever rebel pilot, Darcy literally melted in her seat, as in, she acted as if she suddenly had no bones in her body, sighed loudly, and feigned light-headedness. All this over two words, "_I know_."

One of the things Loki had learned about these Midgardians was that they had the ability to be so very … _passionate_. They fell in love with the strangest things. There were so many possibilities here, so many options and obsessions to chase. Like Darcy's books about the young wizard … they also had movies for each tale in the series, one book actually having two. The concept of being so drawn into these imaginary worlds was entirely foreign to an Asgardian.

Loki got up and walked over to the couch where he had slept the night before. On the coffee table were a pair of her rather large hoop earrings. Darcy had absentmindedly taken them off during the first movie, as they were probably growing very heavy upon her ears. It was a simple gesture, but he was struck by the subtle intimate connotation. She felt comfortable enough to make sure she was at ease, taking her earrings off and setting them on his furniture, as if she were at home.

He heard a knock at the door and he hurriedly answered it, thinking she had come back to retrieve her earrings.

"Brother!"

Loki's face fell. "Thor." His big towering older sort-of-sibling was taking up his doorway in his ridiculous flannel-shirt get-up. He belonged on a package of the paper towels that were stacked in his new pantry.

Thor wore his classic smile that took up half his face, something that Loki hadn't seen directed at him in quite some time. "Thought I was someone else, did you?" his brother asked.

Loki didn't respond, just stepped back to let him in. "What is it that you want?" he said blandly.

"I just wished to see the look on your face." Thor peered into Loki's eyes, searching. "Nay, you did not bed the lady last night … but you _want_ to." He laughed and reached around, slapping his younger brother on the back, hard.

"Don't, Thor," Loki said through his teeth.

The God of Thunder raised an eyebrow. "Do not deny it. I know a man besotted when I see one."

Loki turned and walked back to the kitchen, indignant. "She does not see me in that way. I am nothing more than a work assignment." He hoped this wasn't true, but he wanted Thor off his back.

"Nonsense." His brother followed ... "though Jane does tell me that Darcy likes to put would-be suitors in something Midgardians call 'the friend-zone'. You must make your intentions known, or you will suffer the same fate as the captain."

The younger sibling's brow furrowed. "Are you sure that the captain wishes to woo her?"

Thor's stupid grin returned. "Ah! _That_ certainly got your attention didn't it, now I'm sure of your desire."

Loki rolled his eyes.

"It matters not about the captain," Thor shrugged. "He's in the 'friend-zone', and leaves soon for another city. Besides, I've heard it from Darcy's own lips ... he is not the one she favors." He internally winced, knowing that he'd implied she felt affection for someone.

"Does she favor someone?"

Thor didn't want to betray Darcy's confidence about Clint Barton, but Loki could always tell when he was lying. The only ones who had ever successfully lied to him had been their parents, and that hadn't turned out so well.

He took a breath. "She favors no one that should worry you." Thor hoped that Loki would leave it at that.

Loki nodded, feeling awkward about talking of such things with his older brother. It was all certainly good news, but he didn't feel comfortable revealing too much yet.

"In truth, none of this matters," he said with a grim expression. "She is mortal."

Thor's face fell. The talk of his brother's miraculous interest in a woman had opened up a lifeline between them, fleeting as it was. He put a hand on Loki's shoulder. "You are a master of deception and lies, dear brother, and it looks as though you weave them even for yourself." He gave a sad smile.

Loki sighed. Deep down in the hidden recesses of his shriveled heart, he didn't want the one thread of common ground they seemed to have formed to be severed either. Were they actually conversing in a civil manner? About women? Stemmed from their interest in a pair of friends?

"And what, exactly, could you _possibly_ see happening, Thor? Please, enlighten me."

Thor's hopeful smile slowly returned. "That if you allow yourself, you may actually achieve a small shred of happiness? I know, the notion sounds ludicrous, does it not?" His face then became serious. "But it will take no small amount of work. These modern Midgardian women are so very different than anything we've known."

For what felt like the hundredth time in the last few minutes, Loki rolled his eyes … but he listened to what his brother had to say.

"They're … creative ... irresistable." Thor began his observations of the female sex from the earthly realm. "And they never cease to surprise."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Darcy was sitting, idly swinging back and forth in a vacant salon chair next to Loki, texting Steve. She couldn't look up without laughing uncontrollably, so she was trying to busy herself on her phone, making plans for the evening.

The cab ride over to her favorite salon for Loki's haircut had been interesting, which was probably the Asgardian's first time in such a car. She was pretty certain that the transportation to his new digs had been in one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s classic un-marked black vans that didn't exactly allow for the enjoyment of the scenery.

Loki had looked out the window at the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, peering up at the tall buildings, probably remembering … things.

"Looks a little different from down here, doesn't it?" she had said, alluding to his previous views of the city, soaring in the air on one of the Chitauri's flying jet-skis.

At the moment, she was trying not to look at him, wrapped in a plastic salon smock, his hair freshly shampooed and wet, sections combed over his face … even that sight alone was enough to send her into hysterics, but her favorite stylist, who also happened to be fabulously flamboyant, was openly flirting with him. Loki's facial expressions threatened to make her laugh until she cried. He looked beyond uncomfortable.

"Luke?" she said without looking up at him.

"Yes? What other indignities do you have planned for me today?"

The stylist, Thom (who made sure to mention that his name had an "H" in it), tapped Loki on his shoulder with a comb. "Hush, now. She's only trying to make you look your most gorgeous by getting you the best cut and _blow_ in the city."

Loki raised his eyebrow at that. There would be no blowing in this establishment. Not in any sense of the word.

Darcy snuck in a look. Nope, not a good idea, his hair had been pinned into sections. She smashed her lips together, supressing a laugh. "How do you feel about a karaoke night? A dual party … honoring your newfound status as apartment owner, and Steve's new mission?" That last part wasn't exactly a reason for a celebration, but she still wanted to do something special for Cap.

"I'm afraid to ask, but what does a karaoke night entail?" Loki asked warily.

"It's fun, I promise." Darcy tried to sound reassuring, though she still wouldn't look up. "It's like going to any other bar except you can sing songs. It's a good time, and hilarious. I won't make you get up on stage, I swear."

"Good, because you have a better chance of seeing me grovel on my hands and knees before my father than you do of getting me to sing on a Midgardian stage."

The stylist gave a sharp intake of breath. "Daaamn, honey, you are _tense_. Someone needs to help you relax a little," Thom observed as he trimmed Loki's hair.

"Right?" Darcy replied. She didn't notice Loki's faint blush at her suggestion that he needed a little tension relief. He'd be more than happy to let her take a crack at it.

"Anyway," she went on ... "everyone is on board, but I just want to make sure you're cool with Jane coming along."

He smiled slightly at her consideration. "It's fine. I'm sure my brother will occupy her time."

"Awesome!" Darcy grinned up at him. "Because I need Jane for the songs I sing."

"You're going to perform?" This should be interesting.

"Of course! We promised Cap a very special song."

Loki suppressed what seemed to be his 300th eye-roll of the day and wondered what Thor thought of the threesome that was Jane, Darcy, and Steve Rogers. On Asgard, such a friendship would be seen as unseemly for ladies who had been claimed. Loki certainly wasn't unhappy to see the good captain relocated, and he wondered if Thor would ever admit to feeling the same way.

Darcy's phone began to go off to the ringtone of Eve's "Let Me Blow Ya Mind", which meant it was her friend Jules calling.

"Do you have a song for when my number rings you?" Loki wondered.

"Of course."

"What is it?"

"Kanye." She looked at him as though it was a given. Of course Loki's ringtone would be Kanye West, what else would it be?

She pointed a finger at her phone and started to get up. "I'm going to take this outside."

"Absolutely not." His mouth had set into a firm line and his eyes bore a hole through her head, telling her not to leave him alone in this establishment with the ostentatious man and his sharp scissors and innuendos.

Darcy complied but rolled her eyes and brought the phone up to her ear. "Hey ho." She went back to swinging in her salon chair like a little kid.

"Sup hooker," Jules said on the other line. "Can we talk, or should we speak in bands?"

"Totally." Darcy smiled at the familiar and welcome sound of Jules' voice. She missed her fearless and no-nonsense banter. "I'm always up for new tunes." _Yes, let's speak in bands._

"Gotcha. Can you make it down for the Voodoo Festival?" _Can you come to New Orleans? Miss Ramona would like to see you._

"You have a new band for me to see?" _You have answers_?

"_Hell_ yeah, it's some serious Ghostface Killah shit." That seemed pretty self-explanatory.

"Damn, girl. I'll see what I can do. If I can still get tickets."

"They sellin' out quick."

"I hear ya." Darcy began to wonder how she could ever clear a trip to New Orleans with Loki in tow, to Director Fury.

"You gonna bring this new guy with you?" Jules asked, as if she were reading Darcy's mind about who she was thinking about.

She sighed … "It's not like that."

"You forget who you're talkin' to, hooker. You've been letting your guard down. We can feel it."

"I'll call you back when I get home." This was not a conversation to be had in a salon and among other people.

"Aight. Then you can tell me all about him." Jules was insistent.

"Whatever, bitch. Love you."

"It's okay, you know. Love ya too ... ho!"

She hung up and felt a serious flash of déjà vu. Darcy looked up to find Loki staring at her incredulously. "What?" she said, confused.

"You just called this person several derogatory terms and then said 'I love you'?" He was sticking with his earlier assessment of Midgardians ... they were downright peculiar.

Darcy opened her mouth to reply, but Thom had just finished his work, having smoothed a small amount of product in Loki's hair and taking the smock off. She sat back and enjoyed the scenery. "Daaamn, Luke, you look _fine_. My compliments to you, Thom!" She held up her hands and clapped for them.

Loki had refused to let the stylist blow-dry his finished look, so his now chin-length hair was curling at the ends. She quite enjoyed his black locks worn soft, some of it framing his angular face and the rest tucked behind his ears. She had never warmed to his way of severely combing it back. The shape of this cut made him look a lot less Dracula-esque. No one would recognize him this way.

"Gurl, I can't take all the credit," Thom said, admiring his work. "This is one fine specimen of man that you found."

Loki looked uncomfortable and ready to get out of there, though in his suit and new haircut, he looked as if he could grace the pages of GQ.

Darcy laughed and nodded in agreement. "He is," she said. Perhaps she should just stop fighting this attraction a little bit. Jules' words had struck a chord. If her friend could feel it, there must be some truth to it.

Loki peered at her curiously. Something had changed.

"Come on." Darcy shook all the feels out. "We've gotta meet everyone in the lobby at Stark Tower. We're all skipping out of work early today," she said with the biggest of smiles on her face.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

"Alright. Two more, Thor! We're gonna need two more … _each!_" Jane called over to her boyfriend as he headed to the bar to get more drinks.

"Two more of what?" Loki asked.

Darcy explained. "Jaeger bombs. Jane needs at least three to be able to get up on stage."

"Hey!" Jane was already well on her way. "After 'Shoop' can we do a song off of 'Watch the Throne'?"

"Sure! But I get the Jay-Z part." Darcy chugged her beer.

"Hey! Not fair, I don't do Kanye very well."

"Fine." She set the beer down. "I'll be Kanye."

This person sounded vaguely familiar to Loki. "Is this the Kanye with the song that rings you when I call?" he asked.

"Yep."

"And why is that?" He was curious.

Darcy looked to Jane, then back to Loki. "Because you guys could be twins."

Jane nodded. "Totally."

Loki frowned and brought up a picture of Kanye West on his phone. The man couldn't look anymore less like him if he tried. "This man is who I remind you of?" He held up the screen.

Both girls nodded. "Isn't it like looking in a mirror?" Darcy said with a straight face.

Loki sighed. "The two of you are obviously inebriated enough already to do what it is you need to do."

_Why was he acting like such a dick?_

"Loki? Darcy asked. He answered by raising an eyebrow.

"Lighten up."

"And drink your Jaeger bombs," Jane demanded, as Thor brought several over to their table. "Just remember … no smashing!" His only response was an eye-roll.

Darcy's eyes widened. "Loki, I'm worried that you're gonna give yourself a stroke if you roll your eyes one more time." She held up her drink to him and he begrudgingly lifted one of his as well in a truce.

Everyone downed their drinks, even Steve, taking turns between toasting the new apartment-owner and the one moving away.

Darcy was concerned that Loki had succumbed to surliness because of his close proximity to Jane … but she also had an inkling that he didn't like it very much when the girls had walked into the karaoke bar, one on each of Steve's arms, as if he were Bruce Wayne or Hugh Hefner.

Even though there were other people with them tonight, instead of the usual three, it didn't mean they were going to break the tradition of teasing Cap by making him look like a pimp. For once, he had out-pimped Tony Stark, who now only had one woman on his arm these days, and Pepper looked excited to be out and about.

The various members of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Avengers present had claimed a big table near the front of the stage early on. Even Clint decided to show up, though he and Bruce sort of sat off to the side in order to talk.

By the time Darcy and Jane's turn was up, the group was well on their way to being straight-up hammered. The girls had known the words to their song by heart for a few years now, as well as the dance moves they picked up from the video. They always broke out their favorite tunes when things got too boring or too stressful in the lab. But in the past, usually their audience tended to be only Erik Selvig, who barely paid attention to their antics, and maybe a few interns. In order for them to perform in front of a whole bar full of people, liquid courage was a necessity.

They had also been used to wearing jeans and tennis shoes during such numbers, but tonight would have to settle for getting down in their work clothes. Darcy was wearing a sleeveless black top and black skirt over tights with boots. She'd also donned a purple cardigan because of the cool fall weather, but took it off before going on, suddenly becoming hot with stage-fright. Jane wore grey dress pants and a white fitted button-down with heels. They looked like the last people in the world who would be rapping to Salt-N-Pepa's "Shoop."

Jane was aware of Thor's eyes on her, as he grinned from ear to ear while sitting next to his brother. Their shared interest in the close friends had softened their hard feelings for one another, at least for tonight. Darcy was surprised to find that Clint's attention on her from the crowd affected her none whatsoever, and was just glad that he had come to be a part of this gathering of friends, even with Loki in attendance. The one she found herself being nervous around was the aforementioned God of Mischief … she could feel his blue-green eyeballs watching her as the the music started and they began their irreverent dance moves.

Jane's part was up first, who blushed ferociously at the lyrics she rapped.

**_"Here I go, here I go, here I go again_**

**_Girls, what's my weakness?"_**

"**Men**!" Darcy yelled into her microphone. Jane continued, though looked like she could fall over into hysterical laughing at any second.

**_"Okay then, chillin', chillin', mindin' my business_**

**_I looked around, and I couldn't believe this_**

**_I swear, I stared, my niece my witness_**

**_The brother had it goin' on with somethin' kinda,_**

**_Wicked, wicked had to kick it_**

**_I'm not shy so I asked for the digits … "_**

At this point, the two extremely attractive rapping white girls had caught the attention of quite a few patrons, and had drawn a pretty big audience. Thor was laughing and glowing with pride at watching Jane light up the stage, and Loki, for the first time in decades (not counting that time he was muzzled, of course) was rendered speechless. He could only stare and drink the dark beer his brother had brought him. Tony Stark could be heard whistling from the bar.

_**"Shoop shoop ba-doop**_

_**Shoop ba-doop**_

_**Shoop ba-doop ba-doop ba-doop"**_

When Darcy's part was up, she worked the stage with ease, a strange courage coming over her, not even caring that she was showing a little skin because of her discarded cardigan. Her ample cleavage was actually giving her some confidence for once. She wished her pro-boob S.O. Natasha were here to see it ... she'd be proud.

**_"Umm, you're packed and you're stacked, 'specially in the back_**

**_Brother, wanna thank your mother for a butt like that_**

**_Can I get some fries with that shake shake boogie?_**

**_If looks could kill you would be an Uzi_**

**_You're a shotgun, bang! What's up with that thang?_**

**_I wanna know, how does it hang?_**

**_Straight up, wait up, hold up, Mr. Lov-ah_**

**_Like Prince said you're a sexy mutha … "_**

Loki was shocked … did she just ask to what direction someone's manhood hung? He looked over to Steve Rogers, who seemed to be laughing so hard he couldn't breath. It dawned on him that out of everyone in their party, he was the only one acting like an old-fashioned and disapproving geezer. Even the squeaky-clean good captain had loosened up. Even Clint Barton was showing that he knew how to smile. What in The Nine had become of him? He knocked back his drink.

**_" … On your mark, get set, go, let me go, let me shoop_**

**_To the next man in the three-piece suit … "_**

Darcy realized as she was rapping the words, that Loki was in fact, wearing a three-piece suit ... so she just went with it, smiled, and looked right at him while finishing the rest of the lyrics. He'd been in a bad mood all day, maybe he'd perk up a little bit.

**_"I spend all my dough, ray me, cutie_**

**_Shoop shoop a-doobie like Scooby Dooby Doo_**

**_I love you in your tight jeans, you give me nice dreams_**

**_You make me wanna scream, "Ooo, ooo, ooo!"_**

**_I like what ya do, when you do_**

**_You make me wanna shoop"_**

The minx was looking right at him when she said (sang? recited poetry? or whatever this strange music was) these provocative things with her breasts bouncing deliciously to the beat. Loki was compelled to shift in his seat while scooting his chair closer to the table so no one could see the lower-half of his body.

"What do you think, brother?" Thor had observed his younger sibling's shock and awe. "I told you, the women in this realm never cease to surprise."

Loki leaned over. "I am rather surprised to see Jane performing these dances … I always thought of her as, shall we say … more conservative?" He didn't want to outright say that he had formed the impression that Jane was a bit of a frigid wench.

Thor laughed. "It's been my experience that Darcy has a way of bringing out a person's more liberal … or sillier nature."

Loki allowed himself to laugh. If that wasn't the truth, he didn't know what was … he'd never felt sillier in all his life than when he was in her presence, and it had been rather liberating during the few times he had opened himself up to it.

Thor looked at his brother, masking his astonished grin with a hand, acting as if he was wiping away at his mouth after taking a rather large sip of beer. He had almost lost hope to ever see a sincere laugh escape Loki's lips again … something that wasn't basking in someone else's pain, something that didn't accompany a sneer. The God of Thunder silently said a prayer to his ancestors, his mother, Odin, and anyone who would listen, that the rather remarkable girl up on stage who had inspired this behavior, would treat Loki's heart with care. It was a miracle that even a shadow of the man The God of Mischief used to be had emerged. Thor wasn't sure he could withstand anymore rejection … without their mother's unfailing support in the face of heartbreak like in days past, he feared that Loki would fade back into darkness, never to return.

Thor watched Loki's gaze as it followed Darcy. The girls had finished their song and she walked off to the bar to get another drink. It was rather unfair to pin such hopes on this mortal girl, but it seemed the best and perhaps only way to get his brother completely back.

Darcy was buzzing with energy after their awesome performance and needed another drink to calm her nerves ... bring her back down. She had a twenty in her hand and signaled to the bartender for a beer. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a group of what looked to be investment bankers, or something of their sort, ogling her.

The loudest one in the group slinked over to her from his stool. "I have to say, I enjoyed the view from down here," he smarmed. "Can I buy you a drink?"

She glanced over at him. He had that aging frat-boy quality to him, dirty blonde hair in a boringly standard haircut. Blue-grey dead eyes never leaving her cleavage. No doubt he had a very high opinion of himself as he had an unwarranted arrogance about him.

She raised an eyebrow. "You look like a grown-up version of the bully from _Karate Kid_. I can get my own beer, thanks." Darcy turned back to face the bar.

The guy didn't take her rejection well. "Figures," he spat. "A little slut playing hard to get." He went from being lecherous to straight-up menacing.

Darcy was drunk enough that she was past ignoring the asshole and she got angry. "I'm sorry," she said sarcastically … "I'm just not the kind of girl that enjoys getting her drinks roofied. It sucks that you need to resort to such methods." She turned her back to walk to the other end of the bar to get her drink.

The man shot out his hand and grasped her by the elbow, hard enough to bruise. Darcy's spidey-sense went off in full-force, her lower stomach starting to vibrate. This guy wasn't just a pervy asshole, he was a predator. Dangerous.

Loki made to stand up so he could walk over to the man who was grabbing Darcy, and pound him into the floor ... but Jane caught him by the arm.

"Don't," she said. "Darcy hates it when guys get all white-knight on her."

Loki looked down at his brother's lover like a peasant who dared to touch a prince. Thor glanced up at him apologetically, as he would probably be steaming from the ears as well if someone had dared to do the same thing to Jane.

"Or fine, whatever!" Jane said, responding to the look that her boyfriend's maniac brother was giving her. "Go see what happens. Be my guest."

Loki's eyes softened. For some reason, this girl was trying to give him advice and his anger had clouded his senses. He nodded to her and calmly walked over to where Darcy was arguing with the man he wished to break into a thousand pieces.

Darcy's hand crept closer to the small holster strapped to her thigh that held her S.H.I.E.L.D.-issued pen-sized taser, ready to take aim if necessary. She got in the asshole's face.

"Do. Not. Touch. Me ..." she said through her teeth and inclined her head slightly. "I will _cut_ you." An energy emanated off of her and the guy instantly backed down, ready to return to his sorry bros with his tail between his legs.

"Darling," Loki said sweetly, letting Darcy know that he was directly behind her. "There you are," he said into her ear, a smile on his lips … but his eyes told a different story, as he turned his head and stared the man down, conveying the fact that if he didn't leave, he was a dead man.

Darcy's eyes narrowed and she smiled slowly, hopped up on the energy surrounding her and the luscious sound of the voice in her ear. The defeated man could only blink back at the strange couple, evil grins on their faces, who looked as if they were capable of murdering him.

Loki's hands came from behind her and encircled her waist into an embrace, his hands resting on her stomach as he bent his head to plant the lightest of kisses on her neck. He was marveling at the fact that she had arched her neck slightly to allow for greater access, when he noticed a strange sensation running through his palms. A gentle humming electricity. _Magic_.

The magic was coming from _her_.

As the man they had thoroughly crippled with fear turned to walk away, Darcy smoothly broke from their embrace. "I was just getting a drink." She smiled. "You want one?"

Loki, who was completely floored, could only nod. Yes, he needed a drink. He needed several, in fact.

"Hey guys." Steve walked up to them, bringing with him a totally different vibe than what had just taken place, whatever it was. "I've said my farewells to everyone at the table … I've got to catch a cab." Loki looked at him, the next man he was about to kill.

Darcy turned to her friend. "You're leaving already?" Everything else was forgotten. She wasn't ready to say goodbye yet.

Cap gave a reluctant smile. "My flight is in a few hours."

She nodded and inclined her head to Loki, "can you get our drinks? I'm gonna walk him out." Darcy handed him the twenty-dollar-bill she had been holding in her hand the whole time.

"Of course," he said, trying to maintain a calm that he didn't feel. Loki held out his hand to Darcy's friend, wanting nothing more than to rip his throat out ... but he _was_ leaving, so it seemed a bit pointless to commit bloody murder. "Safe travels to you, Steve Rogers."

The good captain smiled sincerely and shook his hand before the pair of friends walked out of the bar together. Darcy looked back to Loki and mouthed "thank you" to him before heading out the door.

It didn't take Steve long to hail a cab as he and Darcy stood at the curb. She was rubbing her arms, all of a sudden cold from the New York October air.

"You should go back inside," he said, concerned. Always the gentleman.

"Hell no! I want to make sure you get safely into the car." Darcy punched him in the shoulder.

Steve laughed. "You're funny, you know that? Thanks for tonight. I had a lot of fun. I'm going to miss you guys. You especially."

"I'm going to miss you, too. Do you know where you'll be staying?"

"Yeah." He didn't seem too excited about it. "They're setting me up in an apartment, apparently it's nice. I can only hope to find some nice people there. I'll be lucky if they're half as great as you."

"Ahhhh!" Darcy put her hand to her face and peered out through her fingers. "The schmaltz police are coming, Cap!" She took her hand down and smiled. "No, seriously, I don't know what I'm gonna do without you. You're one of my best friends here." She had been hiding the beginnings of tears in her eyes … probably had too much to drink, she thought.

Steve drew her into a hug, and they embraced for several seconds before the cab honked. He kissed the top of her head reverently.

"O Captain, my Captain," she said. It was a line from one of the movies they watched.

"Carpe diem, right?"

She nodded. "Promise me you'll stay safe," Darcy said into his jacket, before stepping back.

He grinned down at her. "I promise. You forget who you're talking to," said Captain America, the super soldier who she couldn't help but be scared for. "I'll see you soon. I'm not going to be gone forever."

He got in the car and shut the door.

She walked up and knocked on the window then pointed at him. "Don't you dare get yourself frozen!"

He chuckled through the glass and they waved to each other as the car disappeared down the street.

Darcy walked over to a slightly secluded bench at the side of the bar, where people went to smoke. She sat down and finally let the tears spill over, head in her hands. She had a bad feeling about Steve's trip, and she hoped against hope that tonight wasn't the last time she'd see him. She remembered the dream she had had earlier, before waking up disoriented in a strange bed. She remembered Ivy's face.

Darcy heard soft footsteps, and for a quick moment panicked, thinking that maybe the predatory investment banker had stalked after her ... but there was no sense of menace accompanying the sound.

"Do you love him?" said that new and yet familiar almost-tangible voice.

She looked up to see Loki holding out her cardigan, sadness on his beautiful face. He could be so full of expression at times, layers of emotions written upon his features.

She took the sweater from him."No," She said softly. "Not in the way you're asking."

It wasn't a lie. Sometimes she had wished she could love Cap, and if she was a more well-adjusted human being, she probably would have … but she didn't need to say all that.

Darcy was telling the truth. She did not love Steve Rogers. Loki relaxed and sat next to her, not really knowing what to do next.

She looked over at him, more tears falling onto her cheeks. "I just can't lose anymore friends. I can't."

Loki suddenly understood. Darcy, worried about the captain's mission, was thinking of the despair she felt when her young friend had died.

He breathed deeply, gathered courage ... and leaned over slowly. She didn't back away as he bent down and lightly kissed the tears on one cheek, and then the other.

Loki straightened up to look her in the eyes, searching. She was blinking in surprise, but wasn't going anywhere. She wasn't scared, or disgusted … she almost looked as if he'd comforted her, her sad expression softening. It filled him with something … hope? Whatever it was, the tightening in his chest was almost unbearable.

Darcy smiled slowly. He took this as permission to try something else. He leaned back down and pressed his mouth gently to hers. She responded, tasting her own tears on his lips, a briny heat, as he slightly parted his mouth to catch her bottom lip in a kiss, caressing it with a flick of the tongue … something he had wanted to do the day they met, whether he had been willing to admit it at the time or not.

The heady desire that overcame him almost demanded that he crush her against him, so that he could devour her, but they were in a public space, and Loki didn't feel right taking this any further while she was so upset. He conjured up some semblance of control, brought his hands up to her face and gently broke the kiss, looking at her in the eyes again, this time heavy-lidded. The smile that had been there before returned. She hadn't been scared away.

He put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned against him. "May I ask you a question, Darcy?" Loki needed to ask about the magic he had felt.

"Uh-huh."

He didn't quite know how to phrase it. "You're ah … stomach. At the bar, I felt … "

She stiffened slightly in understanding, then answered. "It's my tattoo."

"Tattoo?"

She nodded her head against him. "Yeah. But can I tell you about it later? I can't really take anymore heavy things for the evening, and we gotta go back in there soon."

"Of course."

Darcy straightened and stood up, facing him. She lifted her shirt slightly to reveal a tattoo below her navel, inked in shimmery green, blue, and purple. It was a fleur-de-lis surrounded by vines, or …

"Ivy." He looked up at her and she nodded.

He reached up to touch it, fingers tracing the sweeping lines. Loki's light caresses on her skin sent waves of warmth throughout her body, though it wasn't magic. It was something much more carnal. Earthy. Lust.

Her delectable hourglass-shaped body was standing right in front of him, with the skin of her belly slightly bared … it was simply too much. Loki drew her in, pressing his hands on the small of her back. He touched his lips gingerly to the tattoo, closing his eyes, breathing in the sweet scent and warmth of her skin. The energy that was emanating earlier from the area, was at the moment, lying dormant. But in the background, he could sense a very faint magical stamp, a metaphysical fingerprint. Someone who didn't know magic would never pick up on it. There was a very powerful spell woven into this ink.

Darcy threaded her fingers through Loki's hair, newly shorn and soft, smelling of expensive deliciously-scented product. She couldn't remember the last time someone's touch had woken up every single nerve in her body in such a way. Her eyes practically rolled back in her head as she shut them. _Holy fuck_, she wanted him.

"Loki?" she asked through deep breaths.

"Hmmmm?" The vibrations of his voice against the skin of her lower-abdomen almost made her knees buckle.

She sighed. "As much fun as this is, we can't exactly do it on a bench by the street. Some smoker is gonna come out here eventually."

"Hmmmm." This time his tone expressed dramatic disappointment.

Loki put his hands on Darcy's hips and drew himself up to a standing position, though he was going to need a second to squash his arousal. He thought about the cold shower he should probably take before going back inside.

"Very well," he said, strain in his voice.

She laughed softly, taking pity on him … and laced her fingers through his. Eventually, they stepped back inside the establishment where their friends were currently partying. Darcy and Jane still needed to do their Kanye &amp; Jay-Z song.

They shook themselves out and walked up to their table, holding hands.

"You still have not explained this Kanye person to me." Loki looked down and saw Darcy shrug.

"The man has an ego the size of Stark Tower, but I can't help but love his music."

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

_AN: I've put up the link to the video for "Shoop" on my profile. It's the inspiration Jane and Darcy would have no doubt used for their karaoke number. If you haven't seen it, or heard the song, you MUST watch it. It's genius. They just don't make rap songs like they used to ...  
_

_And "O, Captain, my Captain" and "carpe diem" is from Dead Poets Society ... one of my favorite Robin Williams movies, who is also incidentally, still my favorite blue person (Genie) ... sorry, Jotun Loki ;-) _


	16. Chapter 16

XXX

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

During the cab ride home from the karaoke bar, the energy was a bit … heated. Loki and Darcy had shared a cab with Thor and Jane since they were all going to the same place, and everyone was thinking about what would happen next. It was classic soap opera-tension … would they? Or won't they …

Even more heated was the journey to their floor … walking through the lobby, riding up the elevator and heading down the hallway, each step closer to their destination. Darcy and Loki lingered by their doors as Thor and Jane paused at their apartment before going inside, wanting to see if the the new pair would be disappearing into the same room together.

Darcy wasn't about to give them the satisfaction. She leaned against her door and was willing to stay there all night until the two voyeurs left them alone.

Loki took out his keys. "You left your earrings on the table, would you like them back?"

_Very smooth_, she thought, and took a deep breath. "Sure." She heard a door click shut … their neighbors had finally stopped spying and called it a night.

Loki unlocked his door and she was about to follow him inside … which pretty much guaranteed that nothing was going to happen between them. Darcy wasn't about to get down and dirty with him if J.A.R.V.I.S., and by extension Tony Stark, was monitoring everything that went on.

But then her phone went off … to "Cold Hard Bitch".

"Shit. It's my mom," Darcy said. "I have to take this … I'll be over in a minute."

Loki nodded and went inside while she opened the door to her place … and then answered the phone.

"Hello?" She said in a small voice. "It's kinda late isn't it?"

"Hi sweetie, you know me … I never sleep. I just wanted to firm up plans with you for tomorrow."

_Oh, shit_. Darcy had forgotten that her mom was coming into town. "Oh, yeah! I'll make dinner reservations for us tomorrow morning."

"Great, great … could we make it an early dinner? 3 pm? My conference will be over by then and I'll have to catch a plane soon after."

"Um, sure."

"Listen, I have some good news. I've firmed up a position here in Atlanta for you, it's a great opportunity for someone with your, uh, degree."

"Mom, I already have a job that I like."

"Now, Darcy, you know that you can't be an assistant forever, and living in that dangerous city I'm sure sounds adventurous and romantic while you're young, but you'll want to think about getting serious soon and settling down."

"I'm not an assistant anymore and I really like New York."

"But honey, it's so dangerous. At any minute you could get mugged … or worse. Terrible things happen there."

"Terrible things happen in Atlanta too."

"It's much safer here, and you'll be near your family. And you won't have to live in a tiny apartment."

"I don't live in a tiny apartment." It was one of their classic mother/daughter conversations … she didn't listen to anything Darcy said.

"But you can live in a house, sweetie. You can make a house payment instead of paying someone else rent."

"But …"

"You can't do this forever, you realize, you have to start thinking of your future."

Darcy had listened enough. "Mom! I have a job! I'm not an assistant! I don't want to move to Atlanta! I really don't want to talk about this right now, I have other things that I want to be doing right now … _literally_." It was more like _who_ she'd rather be doing right now, but details!

"Honey, this design thing might not work out, you know how competitive that industry is … do you really think that you can stay on the cutting edge of trends for the next several decades? One of these days, and sooner than you think, you will not be so young and up-to-date and then what? You need a real job."

"I have a real job. And yes, I can stay on the cutting edge, or whatever. And I like living in New York, it's as safe as anywhere."

"Don't tell me you think that silly taser your father got you is going to get you out of a jam. You realize that a would-be assailant can just take it right from you and use it against you, right?" Her mom didn't realize that she'd tased the God of fucking Thunder with that silly weapon.

Darcy had resorted to pacing around her living room. "Mom. I'm not moving to Atlanta. I like my job. I can defend myself. End of story."

"You at least owe it to yourself to come to the interview, I pulled a lot of strings for you. It's really a great opportunity for someone with your ... background."

_My background_? Only her mother would think that a graduate degree in poli-sci was about as prestigious as waiting tables or dancing on a pole.

Darcy began to lose her temper. "I never asked you to do this! I have no idea why you think I'm such a loser by living in New York and being a designer!"

"Honey, I realize you want to do this starving artist thing but it's not sustainable. Don't you want to have a career? Have a family? Be happy?"

"I AM HAPPY! And I don't want some man and a family right now."

"I really hope that you're not trying to tell me that you're some kind of lesbian, I know that it's all very acceptable to be one these days, but I really don't think you could handle it."

"WHAT? What makes you think I'm a lesbian?"

"Well, there's your flat-out refusal to get Lasik … those baggy clothes … and seriously, girls just don't go on vacation together to Europe, Darcy."

"Mom, me and Jane went to Norway for work!"

"Sure honey, now, I really want you to come back to Atlanta with me, I'll book you a ticket."

"NO! I have a perfectly respectable job that I'm happy at right here in New York City. I have friends here."

"Darcy, you can make plenty of friends here, the people are very nice and they don't dress like they're homeless like the people in New York do."

"Who dresses like they're homeless?"

"You know, those people in Brooklyn that wear ridiculous clothes from garage sales."

"My life isn't an episode of _Girls_, Mom. I don't live in Brooklyn. I live in Manhattan."

"This isn't up for discussion. You will come back with me, go on your interview and do something with your life for once."

"I am not 12! I make my own decisions! I AM DOING SOMETHING WITH MY LIFE!"

"And then we can go shopping, get you some nice clothes, get that hair of yours taken care of …"

Darcy was now at a total loss. "What's wrong with my hair?"

"It's much too long honey, I saw those pictures on Facebook. It's not the 70's and you're not Gloria Steinem. Those strange highlights in your hair just look ridiculous."

"It's called ombre and I like it. I can't win, can I? My hair is either too long or too short or too weird. My clothes are too baggy … my glasses are too lesbian!"

"I'm only trying to help, you don't need to get so defensive."

Darcy stood there and took several deep breaths.

"Mom, what can I do to convince you that I'm happy here in New York and that my job actually _is_ a career."

"We can talk about it tomorrow, Darcy. I've got to go. Remember, 3 o'clock. And don't take me to one of those macrobiotic or molecular gastronomy places either, or whatever they're calling overpriced food these days. Please be ready to come back to Atlanta with me."

"Mom, I have to work!"

Click.

Darcy stared at the phone, something she did pretty much every time after talking to her mom. It didn't matter. It really didn't matter what she did. She could be the first female president of the United fucking States of America and it would still just be a shitty job in her mother's eyes. Nothing was better than being a damn scientist. Nothing was good enough. She could never be taken seriously. There was nothing about her that her mother approved of … not even her hair. Nothing. Her mother only cared when she thought she could point her in the direction of science. Fuck. That.

Darcy went to her freezer, took out her special bottle of Patron (for emergencies only) and took a swig. She was still pretty tipsy from a night at the karaoke bar, but the conversation with her mother had been a serious buzzkill. She really needed to stop taking her calls altogether … or she'd be driven to alcoholism. If she moved to Atlanta, Darcy would probably have to check into a rehab facility in a matter of months … no, weeks. There was no way in hell.

Darcy was no longer in the mood to hang out with anyone, but she had told Loki that she would be over to get her earrings, so she trudged over and knocked on his apartment door.

He opened it, looking hopeful. He had taken his suit-jacket off. "How was your conversation?"

"I don't really want to talk about it." She walked into the living room, looking as if she now carried a 100-pound weight on her shoulders.

Loki noted a stark change in her demeanor. When they got back from the bar, she had seemed elated, excited … but now she seemed distant … far away.

She walked over to the table to pick up her earrings … and she had every intention of going right back home, but Loki spoke up.

"Em, Darcy. May I have a word?"

She really didn't feel up for a conversation as she was terribly distracted by her mother's phone call, but she nodded anyway and sat down, hoping it wouldn't take too long.

Loki started pacing. He looked nervous … which made Darcy nervous. "As you can probably guess … my feelings for you ... have … "

This wasn't the time or place for such a conversation, she felt like the last person in the world that someone should have feelings for. "Please. Stop there," she said quietly.

Loki stopped pacing, struck by her sudden coldness. It was unlike her. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

With a voice devoid of emotion, she said, "I think I can guess … and quite honestly, I'm not ready to hear it right now." She stood up. "I should go."

Loki was confused. "Would you not even listen?"

"I'm just … this isn't a good time."

"When would be a good time?"

"I don't know … just not right now."

"Are you … rejecting me?"

"No. Of course not, I'm just … not feeling very well right now."

"I do not understand. What's happened? Why are you so … distant? Cold?"

Darcy snapped. She was not cold. She was nothing like her mother. "I'm done here. I have my earrings. Thank you for taking such good care of them. I will see you later." She started walking towards the door.

Loki had never seen her act this way. Even when she was angry with him, she was still filled with life, with passion … this person was devoid of it. He was confused and hurt … this unfortunately lead to anger.

"I do not understand. I am a prince! And yet … you reject me so easily. You. You're … "

Darcy guessed where he was going and got right in his face. "I'm what? A peasant? A Midgardian? Nothing special? An ant for your boot to squash? I'll let you in on something … being a prince means about jack _shit_ around here. And I'm not rejecting you … I just don't want to talk about this right now!"

He didn't back down, but got right back in her face. "I've never stood such … such _insolence_ before from someone like you," he said through his teeth.

_The fuck did he just say?_

"Someone like me?" She said quietly, with anger. "And what is that exactly … mortal? I really don't understand, Loki." Her voice got louder. "I thought that hanging out with us lowly Earthlings was the Asgardian version of slumming it. I thought we were on the wrong side of the Yggdrasil tracks. Isn't that what you've been trying to convince Thor? That Jane isn't worthy? Or what are you suggesting here … that it's okay to bang us, but not seriously date us?"

Loki didn't want to talk about his brother. "Thor and Jane have nothing to do with this. She is not good for him. She … "

Darcy cut him off. "And how the hell would you know? You don't know her. You know _nothing_ about Jane. You have no idea how much she cares about your brother … what she did for two years to try to find him. She didn't sleep, eat … _bathe_, all she did was try to figure out a way to get back to him."

Loki turned away … resumed his pacing. This was not how he saw the evening going. At all.

"Pathetic," he spat. "To be so worked up about my brother, and devise such an idiotic plan … you're right. Thank The Nine. I _don't_ know her. But what I do know is that she should not have been meddling with forces that she couldn't _possibly_ begin to understand, chasing after some fantasy."

Darcy saw the hypocrisy in that statement. "Loki. You realize that you could be talking about yourself, right?"

He stopped pacing, eyes growing dark. He took two steps and he was right in front of her face. "I grow tired of your lectures, _Midgardian_."

She stepped back, a little stunned, but she sensed no menace. There was no intent to harm, not physically anyway … but she was tired of people implying that she was less than … beneath them … not good enough. "Why do I get the feeling that when you call me _Midgardian_ in that way, what you really mean is _cunt_."

The word surprised Loki as he didn't quite know what it meant. How had things come to this? He was at total loss.

Darcy walked over to the door, earrings in hand. "I'm outta here." He went to follow, to try to calm her down, but she slammed the door in his face.

Loki stood there, confused, wondering what in the hell had just happened.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

"Brother!"

As soon as Loki opened his door, Thor knew something was wrong. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened," Loki said, letting his brother in. That was the problem … nothing had happened. He woke up alone.

"But it seemed as though things were going so well." Thor was confused.

"I really haven't a clue. Darcy was fine when we got back, but then received a phone-call from her mother … then everything changed."

"That's certainly odd," The God of Thunder said. "Hmmmm … Jane has mentioned that Darcy starts to become afraid when, and I quote, 'things start to get real.' Perhaps she just needs some time?"

Loki shrugged. "Perhaps. She tried to warn me that it wasn't a good time to talk … and yet I persisted, like a fool." He walked over and plopped down on the couch, very un-god-like.

"Something must have happened."

"Even if that's true … I said some things that I should not have." He looked up at his brother, remembering something. "Tell me, brother … do you know what the word, em … '_cunt_'... means?

Thor blushed slightly. He'd heard the word used on television, but wasn't completely sure, though he had an inkling. "Err, I believe it is a rather, ah … taboo way of saying '_quim_'."

Loki's brow furrowed in surprise. The girl had a rather colorful vocabulary … and a bit of a filthy mind, it seemed. It only made him want her more.

Thor cleared his throat. "I'll talk to Jane and see what happened."

Loki shook his head … "Please. Don't. You need not play the matchmaker … you were never good at it." He cringed inside at the failed attempts his brother made to match him with a lady … who would have rather been with Thor anyway. Though Loki didn't think Darcy had any inclination whatsoever towards his older brother and never did … a fact that made him wonder what he could do to change the direness of this situation. If she could be his ... she truly would be, _his_.

Thor wouldn't leave it alone. "Then I will talk to Darcy myself."

"No!" Loki shouted, "Thor … go, and be happy with your mortal. Please, leave me alone now. I must go upstairs soon and work."

"What did you say?" The God of Thunder asked softly … did his little brother just say to go and be happy? With a mortal? What in The Nine had happened to him? Who was this person and what did they do with his brother …

Loki sighed. "I wasn't under the impression that you had gone deaf … so I'm quite sure that you heard what I said. Don't make me repeat it. Now, go. I have work to do for these mortals if I have any chance at getting my magic back."

"But … "

"Thor. I promise you, I'm not going to do anything stupid, like try to compel the people in this building to do my bidding … or compile another army to take over the Earth. Please. Go." Loki wanted to be left alone so he could think.

Thor, stunned, complied … but he wasn't about to leave it at that. Loki was acting very strange … he was being … nice? Even in the face of rejection … had he just given Thor and Jane his blessing? What had brought this on?

So many questions … as Thor left his brother's apartment and walked down the hall, the first thing he did was call Jane to see what could be done.

It almost seemed as if his brother had returned to him, in a way … and it scared him. The fragility of it. Thor didn't want to lose Loki again.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Darcy sat in her office the next morning, agitated. The usual air of melancholy that emerged after a conversation with her mother surrounded her.

She knew that she had been unfair to Loki, but wasn't sure what to do about it. There hadn't been anything she said last night that was untrue.

But Loki had unfortunately been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Her mother just knew the precise way of pushing her buttons to a point where it was really not wise for her to be around people afterward.

Jane knocked on her door frame. "Can I come in?"

Darcy leaned back in her chair. "Sure," she said quietly.

"So what happened last night?" Jane asked as she walked into the room, concern on her face.

Darcy could tell by the tone of her voice that this wasn't an inquiry about the sex that was had the previous night … so apparently she knew about the fight that had gone down.

Darcy sighed. "My mom called just before I went to Loki's place."

"Ohhhhh." Jane sat down. "That makes sense."

"Yep."

"You didn't tell him that it wasn't a good time to hang out?"

"I tried to … but he wanted to 'talk.' And we all know what _that_ means. He could have just given me my earrings back at any point during the day, but no. He needed an excuse to get me into his apartment."

"Darcy. I thought you liked him … you were holding hands at the bar … I've never seen you look so comfortable with someone touching you like that in a public place. You looked like you were actually having fun with him. What changed in an hour?"

Darcy shook her head, remembering the phone call. "My mom making me feel like a loser even though I'm an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., and apparently my hair is too long. My clothes too grubby. And the city is too dangerous for me. And I should move to Atlanta and settle down already. Buy a house. Snag a man. Pop out babies … be normal so that I don't embarrass her anymore."

"A man and babies? Now? Eww. Gross." Jane understood wanting to focus on her career, on cultivating a life of one's own before thinking about starting a family.

"Right? I don't understand why she thinks that having babies would be a good idea for me … it certainly didn't make her happy."

Jane wanted to know what happened with her boyfriend's brother. "So what did Loki say to you that set you off?"

"I told him that I didn't want to talk about whatever it was he wanted to talk about … _right that minute_. But then he got all offended and basically said I should be grateful for the attention because he's a prince and I'm a lowly mortal."

"So your mom made you feel worthless and then he went and did the same thing."

"Yeah … I was probably being overly emotional about the whole thing."

"Your first reaction is usually the right one, Darcy."

Darcy started to get suspicious. "Jane. Why aren't you jumping up and down about this? Don't you hate him?"

Jane shrugged. "I don't know. He was actually kind of fun at the bar last night … after he got over that mood he was in." She leaned over. "And Thor went to see him this morning … I guess Loki told him to 'go and be happy with your mortal' … those were his exact words apparently."

"Whoa. Really?"

"I know, right? What's come over him? Believe me, I still don't trust him as far as I can throw him … but even _I_ can see that he's changing. Maybe I'm naïve, but I don't think it's an act or some big game. I just think he genuinely hit rock bottom and experienced some kind of turning point. I mean, he's still Loki … but I wouldn't run away from him screaming like I would have two years ago. And there's that whole saving my life thing ... though I'm not sure that means he's good for you. Like, _at all_."

Darcy shrugged. "No one is good for me, Jane."

"That's nonsense and you know it. Don't let your mom convince you that you're anything but awesome … and your hair is beautiful, by the way."

Darcy smiled weakly. "You know what?"

"What … "

"He kissed me last night."

Jane gave a sharp intake of breath. "No! Where!?"

"On the mouth."

Jane arched an eyebrow.

"Fine. We were on the bench outside."

"Aaaaand?" Jane found herself being strangely curious. What was it like to make out with the God of Mischief?

"It was eee-lectric, though as far as kisses go, it was pretty PG. Not even a PG 13."

"So you like him?" They were talking like 15-year-olds.

Darcy nodded slightly. "I might as well stop fighting it. Though I'm pretty sure that after last night, he realizes I'm not worth the trouble. I'm a peasant. _Nothing special_."

Jane shook her head. "Don't start that up again. _Loki_ would be the lucky one."

"Yeah, but he sure does like to remind me that he's a prince and I'm a nobody."

Jane shook her head. "That's because it's what he identifies with, being a prince. After he learned about the whole Frost Giant thing, he lost it. His identity was shattered. If he wasn't a prince, then who was he? Nothing. A Frost Giant. Someone that was never accepted by other Asgardians. Being a prince was all he had. It's probably _still_ all he has."

"Did Thor tell you all this?"

"Sort of. He's talked about Loki before … and I've filled in some blanks on my own. It doesn't seem like that family is exactly open about their feelings … but that's where all that "peasant" and "nothing special" bullshit came from … he's ultimately talking about himself."

"Like Kanye is this seriously self-absorbed ego-maniac genius songwriter … but at the end of the day, it's probably just a mask to cover up all his insecurities."

"Exactly."

"Again, Jane … I thought you didn't like him. It sounds to me like you're trying to plead his case."

"I just … I just want everyone to be happy." Darcy gave her a look. "And I think it might be kind of cool for us to date brothers."

Darcy was skeptical. "This is quite the 180 you're pulling on the whole Loki thing. Did Thor put you up to this?"

"No! Of course not … well, maybe a little bit. But it's how I feel too, I swear."

"Hmph."

"You know, you've never admitted to me that you really liked someone. And I don't mean crushes that you have no intention of doing anything about, like with Clint … but a genuine, serious interest. I think that's very telling."

"That's not true … what about Ian?"

"You never talked about him like that."

"Whatever. I've liked plenty of guys."

"No. More like plenty of guys liked _you_ and you friend-zoned them before things got real."

"Ughhhh, not this again."

"Alright, fine. I'll drop it … but I want to talk to you about something."

"Okay. Wassup."

"Do you remember back during that first meeting with Loki and you brought him a cup of coffee?"

"Yeah. I was only trying to be nice and he was a huge dick, how could I forget?"

"Well, I remember Thor yammering on about an 'offering of cups', but I never thought to ask what he meant by it. But this morning when I brought him a cup of coffee, he explained it to me."

"I vaguely remember you mentioning it." Darcy said. They had been eating tapas with Steve.

"I guess it's kind of like back in the day during knights and kings, when men would go off to war … or compete in a joust or something, they would take a token of love … to represent affection and to bring good luck, or whatever."

"Uh-huh. What does this have to do with coffee?"

"I'm getting there! So, it's kind of like that on Asgard. In the great hall, on the eve of some important battle, or some big congregation, or sword competition, things like that … a woman can offer a guy a cup, or a drink, as a sign of support. It means that they'll be thought of or prayed for during battle, or that someone is rooting for them. Thor says it's actually one of the only ways that girls can be forward with guys without being seen as … you know, slutty."

"That's ridiculous. You can only flirt with a guy through drinks? That sounds so … Victorian. Like, over 100 years ago. Asgardians are weird."

"Right? Anyway … when you gave Loki that coffee, what it looked like to the Asgardians was an 'offering of cups'. You were saying that you were rooting for him, supporting him."

"I did no such thing … I had no idea what that was."

"I know … and he knows that too … but here's the thing, no one ever really gave him an offering. I can speak from experience, Asgardians have a certain … ummm, aesthetic. They're all big, blonde and blue-eyed and they stick to their roles in society. Loki was different. He's dark and he's not shaped like a linebacker … and he practiced magic, which apparently is known to be a feminine skill on Asgard. Women, for the most part, practice magic. Men fight. Women weave and cast spells."

"Dude. That sucks. That's awful! Talk about antiquated gender roles … remind me never to go there. And how could he not have women fawning all over him? Magic being seen as girly or no … I mean, the guy is drop dead gorgeous. Are the Asgardians _blind_?

Jane shrugged. "I guess what's attractive for one group of people is different for another group. Loki wasn't a part of the Asgardian group."

"_Shit_. No wonder the guy is so fucked up. So he never got an offering?"

"Thor said that he got a few … but it was usually just a ploy to nab royalty … or a way to get to Thor. After awhile, it was known that Loki would refuse them altogether."

"Dude."

"So to Loki, bringing _only_ him a drink in front of a room full of people, looked like an offering of cups. You were being genuine. I think that's when he started his little infatuation with you."

"He's not infatuated."

"God_damn_ it, Darcy, come off of it. You know full well that he likes you."

Darcy rolled her eyes. "But I didn't mean anything by it, I was just trying to be nice."

"That's the thing, Darcy … no one is ever 'just trying to be nice' to him."

"Alright. Fine. But I can't think about him right now. I have to mentally prepare myself for being around my mother … got any drugs?"

"Advil?"

"Nope. Valium? She wants me to move to Atlanta and start a 'real' career."

Jane did a double-take. "What? Things don't get much more real than working for S.H.I.E.L.D."

"I know. _She_ doesn't know that. She wants to be able to brag to her scientist friends about her brilliant scientist daughter … but that is never going to happen."

"You're brilliant in other ways."

"Thanks, but who am I kidding. I got this job because I knew too much. They were practically forced into hiring me."

"That's not true … you've proven yourself to be an asset to the agency. You're an awesome designer, and great with computers … shit, you can hack into anywhere. You hacked into _S.H.I.E.L.D.'s_ computers in Norway during the Battle of New York!"

Darcy shrugged.

Jane noticed the usual depression that her friend retreated into when dealing with her mother. It always squashed Darcy's light out. "Please don't do this to yourself. The last time you saw your mom, it took you two weeks to get back to your normal happy Darcy-self. Don't let her do this to you, tear you down. Make you feel worthless. _She's_ the asshole."

Darcy only nodded. "I'm gonna go downstairs and punch something until it's time to meet with Medusa."

"I'm here if you need me."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

In the afternoon, Loki was asked to head to HQ and pack up the contents of his desk along with a few other things to move to Stark Tower.

He hoped to run into Darcy, but instead bumped into Jane as he walked past her lab … just about the last person he wanted to see, mortal person anyway.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Jane asked him … probably the first time she had initiated an actual conversation with him … or rather, one that didn't end with her smacking him across the face.

Loki looked at her suspiciously. "Has Thor been talking to you? … or has Darcy."

She gave him a sly smile. "I'm doing this of my own free will. No one has coerced me into anything." Jane held out her hand to direct him into the lab and he reluctantly followed. She sat at her desk which was covered in papers and charts. She motioned for him to take a seat across from her, but he shook his head, preferring to stand next to a vacant desk by the door.

Jane looked at him, sizing him up … trying to see what Thor and Darcy saw in him. "The thought of you and Darcy together doesn't exactly give me the warm fuzzies." She crossed her arms. "I was hoping she'd get back with Ian … or that maybe Steve would work out."

Loki made to walk right back out, but then she kept talking.

"_But_. Ian never made her eyes light up … and Steve would have driven her all kinds of crazy with his … perfect-ness." Jane wondered if she should proceed with this conversation but decided to take a chance. "I've seen the way she lights up when you're in the room … even if she refuses to admit it to herself."

Loki peered at her, confused. "Why are you telling me this? Whatever potential there was … she would not listen to me. I foolishly took Thor's advice about stating my intentions … and it seemed as if it the _last_ thing she wanted to hear." He wanted to leave, he was not comfortable talking to this woman.

"No. Thor was right." Jane was still wary of Loki … was he just going to break her heart? Or would it be the other way around … was she betraying a confidence? She just wanted her friend to be happy. She desperately wanted Thor to be happy … her intervention was worth a shot. "I'm going to let you in on a secret. I'm going to tell you exactly where you went wrong."

Loki raised an eyebrow. He never thought he'd be sharing secrets with Jane Foster of all people.

"For the past few years, working with Darcy … we knew that if she got a call from her mom, we steered clear for awhile to let her breathe. At least a day. If for some reason they met up face to face—and that didn't happen often—but when it did, we made sure to leave her alone for at least a week."

Loki frowned. "Why would she answer the phone if this is her reaction?"

Jane shook her head. "Darcy is supposed to meet her for dinner tonight … and it's her _mom_ … I think she's always holding out hope that one of these days, her mom is going to be the approving and loving mother that she's always wanted."

Loki nodded. That he understood, quite sadly.

"She has a way of making Darcy feel inadequate. Not good enough. She tries to turn her into something she's not. It's actually how Darcy came to be my assistant. Her mom, _Dr_. Brenda Dumaine, is actually a renowned scientist, believe it or not ... got her PhD at Culver, was a professor there for awhile … but now she's a bigwig at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. When it was time for Darcy to do an internship for college credit, her mom pulled a lot of strings to make sure it was in something that she approved of. For some strange reason, Darcy's was the only application I got for that semester. I'm pretty sure that her mother had something to do with that."

Jane remembered taking one of Dr. Dumaine's classes and shuddered. Worst semester ever. "Her mom is a very … severe woman. She's known in scientific circles for being an unfeeling ball buster, but she's actually quite brilliant and has made several breakthroughs and discoveries in her field … but essentially, she cares more about viruses and epidemics than she does about what's actually going on inside Darcy."

Loki leaned up against the desk he was standing next to. "She tried to tell me that it wasn't a good time to talk." Then he remembered what he'd told her, what he'd implied … that she should be grateful … that he was a prince and she was … less than. Like her mother had just done.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is a disaster."

Jane went on. "I want to let you in on something else … because Darcy probably wouldn't."

He looked up at her and nodded.

"You have to stop insinuating that she's like, some kind of peasant, or just a mortal, or Midgardian, or whatever … because that's exactly how her parents treated her … like she's silly … and that's exactly why she mostly has nothing to do with them. You're lucky she even talked to you after your shining performance the first time you met ... when you basically told her that she was nothing special."

Loki closed his eyes. This whole time … all she had done was try to be his friend, try to make him feel more at home in this realm … and what had he done for her?

"And as far as things go here on Earth, and in America … Darcy is no peasant," Jane continued. "Her mom is a famous scientist … and her dad is like, Mr. Lawyer God for the People. Levi Lewis. Champion of the Downtrodden. If there's some kind of human rights violation going down, they call him. Let's just say she didn't grow up poor. She went to the best private schools … was supposed to go to Tulane, but ended up at Culver because of the hurricane."

Loki shook his head. "Darcy doesn't act as if she's wealthy, or part of some kind of American aristocracy as you imply … far from it, actually."

Jane arched a finely groomed brow. "She wouldn't. She won't accept a dime of their money. Not even for college. Not since she turned 18."

There wasn't anything Loki could say, he looked down.

"Darcy is my best friend … I might get frustrated sometimes and talk about how I have to put up with her, but in all actuality, _she_ puts up with _me_. I'm not easy to be around sometimes, I know this … when I have ideas or theories I have to chase, Darcy supports me through everything, when other people would just call me crazy. She understands. We're family."

"You don't deserve her," Jane said, leaning forward, looking Loki in the eye. "But I've never seen her open up to anyone … and believe me, I've seen several guys try to get her to let her guard down, but it's never happened. No one has inspired her to take a chance … not until you came along. I see that."

"If by some miracle, you can make her happy. If you can make her feel how she deserves to feel … then I say go for it. But if you hurt her … if she opens up to you and you break her heart … I will murder you in your sleep. Do you understand?"

For the first time, Loki saw the strength in this woman that Thor had claimed was inside of her.

"I believe you would, Jane Foster."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Darcy had settled on a trendy gastropub for dinner and texted her mother the exact address hours ago … and yet there she was, sitting alone at a table for two in one of New York's hippest and best-reviewed restaurants in the city.

After an hour had passed, Darcy got a text … "Meeting went late and I had to catch a plane, we'll talk about the new job soon."

Darcy closed her eyes and started shaking with anger. Anger at herself, anger at her mom for having this much of an effect on her. She fought back tears. All this over nothing. Much ado. Her mom didn't even show the fuck up. She didn't even give enough of a shit to call her … she texted her some bullshit line. _Like hell_ she'd be going on some job interview in Atlanta.

She quickly paid for the appetizer and two glasses of wine that she ordered, put her sunglasses on, and rushed out the door. Thank God it was Friday and she could just go home and not have to face anyone … but then she remembered her laptop. She'd left it on her desk and she needed it to do some work over the weekend.

_Fuck my life_, she thought.

By the time a cab had dropped her off at HQ, and she'd made it to her office to retrieve her laptop, her eyes were bloodshot from crying, though with her sunglasses to shield her, everything was thankfully hidden.

As she rounded the corner from her office, trying to race back to the elevator with her computer clutched to her chest, she practically ran into Loki … pretty much the last person she wanted to see.

He saw the dark glasses she was wearing and remembered something she had told him upon their second meeting … that there were two reasons why a lady might wear sunglasses indoors; either she was hungover … or crying.

As he stood in front of her, he impulsively reached over and pulled the glasses from her face … he saw that her eyes were red, her lashes saturated with tears.

"What has happened?"

She snatched her shades from him and put them back on. "Don't."

All he wanted to do was pull her to him … kiss the tears from her face like he'd done before, but he hesitated, not knowing what to do. She turned and walked away quickly … practically leaping into the elevator.

Out of the corner of his eye, Loki noticed a guard wandering into Darcy's office. He began to walk over to see what the man was doing, but the guard then walked right back out the door she had left open. He must have delivered something.

Loki peered in to see what was left … more flowers?

On the desk was a small cylinder, a can of some sort. He walked further inside. The label said "pepper spray", which looked to be some kind of deterrent. There was a note attached … it said …

_"Sorry to miss dinner, but It couldn't be helped. Had a flight to catch. If you insist on staying in this city for the time-being, at least carry this with you."_

It was a very cold message. Not an ounce of motherly love or care. Loki could never imagine Frigga leaving such a note for him, even at his worst. Even after everything he'd done, she had exuded warmth, compassion … the exact opposite of the tone of the lines that Darcy's mother had left for her.

He closed his eyes. How he wished that Darcy could have met his mother. _Frigga_.

Loki crumpled up the note … if only he had his magic, he'd have burned it, made it disappear into thin air in a flash. He wanted to shield Darcy from it, make sure that she never saw it. Never felt this way again.

He began to pace … what could he do? What could he do for her?

He smiled as he decided to put his title of "God of Mischief" to good use, even though he lacked his usual magic that aided his intentions. He walked down the hall to see a person he was sure viewed morality in much the same way he did … in shades of gray rather than black and white.

Hawkeye was sitting in his office with the door wide open, frowning over Friday afternoon paper-work. Perfect. He would be itching to do something interesting, something …_ fun_.

"Clint Barton."

The archer looked up but said nothing, just glared.

Loki continued. "Darcy is your friend, is she not?"

"Yes?"

Loki grinned. "Good then. I need your help. I'm looking for someone who's willing to bend a few rules. That would be you."

Barton laughed. "Are you crazy? Wait … look who I'm talking to … that would be a _no_. What would ever make you think I'd help you?"

"But it is for Darcy. Not for me."

Hawkeye was mildly amused, how in the world did this guy think he'd help him? "Umm … how about … _noooo_. Not helping you."

Loki sighed. "You're still angry about the mind-compulsion."

Clint didn't say it, but his face conveyed a bit fat "_duh_".

Loki tapped his foot and looked at the clock on his phone. He was running out of time. "Very well. What if I told you that I was compelled in much the same way you were. The difference being that you were controlled by the scepter itself … and that I was being controlled by a darker force … a force that coveted the tesseract."

Clint squinted in confusion, this got his attention. "Someone was controlling you?"

Loki was impatient. "Look, I'd love to enlighten you, but we don't have all the time in the world … how about if I tell you everything you want to know on the way?"

Clint slowly stood up.

"_Splendid_. Let's be on our way then, shall we?"

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Darcy had gone straight to sleep as soon as she had gotten home at around 4:30. At about 6 pm, she woke up to her phone going off … to the ringtone of "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" by Billy Ocean.

Hawkeye was calling her. _Whaaaaaaaaa_?

She groggily answered the phone. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, but we need you to come down to HQ on an urgent matter."

_Holy shit_, what could it be … _HYDRA_? Did someone recognize Loki, and she was too busy feeling sorry for herself to keep an eye on him? _Fuckity fuck_!

"You're sure everything is cool?"

"Affirmative. Everything is great. We just need your input on something."

"Okaaaay? I guess I'll be right over …" She hung up the phone and went to get ready … she washed her face and pulled on her figure-hugging jeans, concho belt, and cute peasant top … she wasn't in the mood for spy-chic at the moment.

Darcy wasn't exactly crushing on Clint anymore these days, but she also wasn't about to go over there without make-up on, so she applied some eye-liner in a rather impressive swoop across her lid, and some pink lipstick.

In twenty minutes she was walking up to Hawkeye's office, wondering what in the hell was going on. He was sitting on his desk waiting for her.

As soon as Clint saw her, he grinned.

_Okay, this is weird._

"Um. What's going on?" Darcy was seriously confused.

"Follow me." He said, jumping off his desk, motioning her to follow him … and much like weeks before, Darcy followed Clint Barton into an elevator, not knowing what was waiting for her at their final destination.

The elevator took them to the floor that housed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s high-level interrogation rooms and Darcy was led to a viewing area with several leather chairs.

"Have a seat," Clint said. He pointed to the big window where usually, a suspect would be sitting, waiting to be interrogated. "In a second, the cover on the window is going to open, and you're going to be surprised. But don't worry, everything is okay."

Clint took out his phone, entered a code, and the cover began to open.

_So, there's an app for that_, Darcy thought.

As the cover fully receded, she saw that inside, sitting at a desk … was her _mother_.

Darcy's mom was looking around the room nervously, fiddling with her sensible black suit, smoothing out the pencil skirt … a gesture that Darcy noticed was familiar, because it's what _she_ did when she was nervous.

Darcy blinked a few times, her brain not registering what her eyes were telling her. "What is my mom doing in there, Clint?"

He held up a hand. "I told you, everything is okay. We picked her up at JFK right before her flight was supposed to take off … citing that she was a security risk."

"Why would you do that?! How is she a security risk?"

Barton laughed … "It wasn't hard. A level 9 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent can pretty much do what they want at an airport. But technically speaking, she opened herself to scrutiny by sending one of our agents a weapon."

Darcy was shocked. "What?!"

"Relax … she had her secretary send you over some pepper spray this afternoon. After it was checked out, it wasn't deemed a threat … but it still put her on a watch-list, no matter how innocent the gift was supposed to be."

Darcy rolled her eyes. Her mother sent her pepper spray. Of course she did.

Clint gave a sly smile. "Usually we wouldn't care, but we figured that we maybe should make an example out of her."

"What are you going to do with her?"

"Oh … just have a little fun, then send her on her way." He walked out of the viewing room and disappeared down the hall.

Darcy stood up and walked to the window … she could see inside, but her mother couldn't see her. Her mom's make-up was perfect, her hair … dark brown, shoulder-length, was perfect, not a hair out of place, obviously professionally blown-out. She'd always been a beautiful woman, even at nearly 60, she was still striking … but there was only coldness behind all that beauty.

Clint walked into the room … followed by Loki, holding a tablet … both in official black agent spy-ware and sunglasses. They both looked … _fucking gorgeous_.

Darcy shook her head … _what were they doing_?

Hawkeye spoke first, looking at Loki's tablet, his voice stern. "It says here that your name is Dr. Brenda … Dumaine?"

Darcy's mom looked up at him, angry. "Yes!" she hissed. "And what am I here for exactly? No one will tell me. I can't _possibly_ imagine why I would be detained at the airport. I'm needed at the CDC, I have very important matters to attend to. I would like to speak to whoever is in charge of this … this place … what is this place? ..."

Clint held up a hand. "Please stop talking."

Loki walked over and took the chair across from her, leaned over and said … "who do you work for, Ms. Dumaine?"

"I told you. The CDC. Centers. For. Disease. Control." Her mother said the name slowly, as if Loki were daft.

He chuckled. "I appreciate the annunciation as I couldn't have _possibly_ understood what the CDC was, being a government worker myself, with a much higher security clearance than you, I might add … but I wasn't talking about your little experiments with the common cold. I was asking who you _really_ work for? Are you selling secrets? Chemical warfare? Germ warfare? Again … who are you working for?"

It looked like Darcy's mother was finally starting to get a little spooked. She shook her head. "I don't work for anyone except the CDC."

Clint moved from the corner he was standing in with his arms crossed and walked over to the table, leaning over the freaked out doctor. "Then please explain … why you would send this weapon to a government agent?" He then slammed the canister of pepper spray onto the table in front of her.

Brenda stared at the object, recognizing it. She looked up at Clint. "I sent that to my daughter! That's not a weapon, like you suggest. I mean, it's for her protection!"

Loki inclined his head. "Your … daughter, you say?" He looked up at Clint … "You've known her a lot longer than I, has Darcy ever mentioned having a mother?"

Clint looked over to him, feigning confusion. He shook his head slowly. "No … she's never mentioned a thing. Funny, I always assumed that her parents were dead." He shrugged. "What does it say in Miss Lewis's file under next of kin?"

Loki took to his tablet and brought up some records. "Hmmm. She makes no mention of a Brenda Dumaine. What is her father's name?"

"Levi Lewis," her mother said.

"No. She doesn't name him either. Are you sure you're her mother?"

Darcy couldn't help but laugh from behind the glass.

Brenda was taken aback. "Of course I am her mother! Why would I make up something like that?" She then looked over at Loki's tablet, angry. "Who is on that thing, anyway? Is it Ramona Jupiter? That woman is nothing but a witch!"

Loki looked down … Darcy's record did in fact say Ramona and Julia Jupiter. "I'm sorry, Ms. Dumaine, but that information is classified."

"Classified? My daughter is just some assistant … err, a designer, how can her information be classified?"

Clint cocked his head. "Just some designer? And you claim to be her mother? Ms. Dumaine, Darcy Lewis is a brilliant designer, yes … but she is also a high-level government agent. Do you know how many laws you broke sending her a weapon? How many government lists you just put yourself on?"

Darcy's mom looked shocked. "A … a government agent?" She said in a small voice. "I only sent it to her so she could be safe in this … this dangerous city."

"Ms. Durmane." Loki said. "You are a scientist, are you not?"

Brenda nodded. "I am," she said with a wavering voice.

"Do you not realize that sending Miss Lewis this … pepper spray." Loki and Hawkeye looked at each other and shook their head. "That it would be like sending you a child's first microscope in the mail? Darcy is trained in hand-to-hand combat, has access to the world's most advanced weapons. What on earth would she do with this trinket that you can buy at the local supermarket?"

Brenda opened her mouth to say something and then closed it. She then shook her head to convey that she didn't know.

Loki continued. "It says here that you were in town briefly today for a conference, is this correct?" Darcy's mom nodded. "Did you see your daughter while you were here?"

"Ah. No."

"So you claim to be her mother, but made no attempt to see her?"

"Um. I had to catch a plane right away … after the conference."

"You couldn't possibly make time out of your busy schedule to see your own daughter while you were in the city she lives in?" Loki gave one of his classic devilish laughs. "And you wonder why she doesn't have you on her information as next of kin."

Brenda could only blink. She had nothing to say.

Loki and Clint looked at each other and shook their heads dramatically.

"Agent Barton, could you please ask Agent Lewis if this is indeed her mother, and if it is, could you send her in here to vouch for this woman?"

Clint left the room and a few seconds later came to stand next to Darcy in front of the viewing window.

He smiled over at her. "Do you want to come talk to her?"

All Darcy could do was shrug. "What's going to happen to her?"

He laughed. "Nothing. She'll be put on a private jet back to Atlanta. She'll even beat her original flight there. Our jets are a lot faster."

Still in shock, she impulsively gave Clint a hug. There were tears in her eyes, but she refused to let them spill over … she had cried enough for the day. She didn't realize that people cared about her this much. "I don't know what to say … except … thank you," she said into his shoulder. Hawkeye was a bit closer to her height, so it made hugs with him a little easier.

He hugged her back. "You're welcome, but it was all _his_ idea. I was just along for the ride. I must admit … it was pretty fun." He laughed. "Sorry your mom is such a world-class bitch."

Darcy laughed and stepped back from the hug. "She really is."

Clint reached a hand to her cheek to catch a tear. "Family can be a strange thing, the hold they have over you. But you're nothing like her, kid." It was a fear of hers … that she had squashed so many emotions deep down that one day she'd end up as unfeeling and cold as her mother.

"Thanks." Darcy said, and turned to walk out of the viewing area and into the hall to the interrogation room.

She opened the door and walked in. Loki stood up, facing her so that her mother couldn't see his face. He smiled his classic God of Mischief-cat that got the cream-smirk of his. It made her a bit weak in the knees, if she was being honest.

"Darcy!" Her mother shouted. "Tell him who I am, please! So they'll let me go."

Darcy turned her head to look at her mom. "Shhhh." Then looked back at Loki. She reached over to grab his hand and squeezed. "I'll take it from here," she said.

Loki nodded and left the room.

Darcy Lewis, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., sat down at the table across from her mother. She sighed. "You probably shouldn't send me anything else, Mom."

Brenda peered at her daughter and whispered heatedly, "you're a government agent?! You're going to get yourself killed!"

Darcy rolled her eyes. "It's nice to see you too, Mom. Yes, I am an agent … and no, I can't go into details."

Her mother stared at her a few seconds … and just when Darcy thought her mother might actually say something like how she was proud, or impressed, or surprised … she said, "I can't believe you have that … that _woman_ listed as your next of kin! How would we find out if anything ever happened to you?"

Darcy bent over and lightly knocked her forehead against the desk a few times. Her mom was impossible. Was never going to change. Would never approve. Even if she became a famous scientist just like her … she'd never approve, if anything she'd just be even more of a pain in the ass.

Darcy sat up. She knew that Loki and Clint were probably watching in the next room.

"I want you to listen to me for a minute without talking." She looked her mom in the eye. "I'm not going on any job interview in Atlanta."

Her mom opened her mouth to say something, but Darcy took a page from Clint and raised her hand. Cocked her head. "Don't speak."

Brenda, knowing now that her daughter was a high-level government agent, shut her mouth. As Darcy witnessed this, she felt a strange and warm rush of self-confidence come over her.

"I'm happy in New York. I'm happy here at my job. My friends are here. People who care about me, are here. Now, go home. They're going to fly you back to Atlanta."

"Sweetie."

"Go!"

Brenda stood to leave and Clint opened the door to show her out. Before she left, she said, "I'm sorry that I couldn't meet you for dinner."

Darcy looked back at her and nodded, but didn't say anything.

When her mom was gone, she rested her arms on the desk and put her head down … _what the hell just happened_?

Darcy heard the door open and someone walked in … she expected it to be Loki, but it was Jane.

She got up and walked over to the control pad by the door … pushed the button that closed the cover on the window, turned off the sound. Darcy turned to face her friend. "He Darcy'd me, Jane."

Jane scrunched up her face in confusion. "What do you mean, he Darcy'd you? You're Darcy."

"No … he _Darcy'd_ me."

"He friend-zoned you?"

"No! _Mr_. Darcy. He _Mr_. Darcy'd me."

Jane still looked confused. "What? How did he … ohhhhhhh." Realization dawned on her. "He did! He totally Mr. Darcy'd you!"

"I even have a Jane! You're _Jane_, Jane! And Thor is Mr. Bingley!"

"Wow. Thor totally _is_ Mr. Bingley."

The girls were both familiar with the tale of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. _Pride and Prejudice_ being one of their favorite books of all time … as well as movie. They often had deep philosophical discussions about which movie did what better … the Colin Firth version, or the Kiera Knightly version, and the many re-tellings and spin-offs in-between.

"Let's go through this, shall we? Exhibit A … he insulted me the first time we met."

Jane nodded. "Then he got to know you … and you were fun, opinionated. Challenged him. Not like the other ladies in his world."

"And he tried to convince his best friend, err brother, that dating the Jane in his life wasn't going to work out for him so well."

Jane laughed. "He totally did! Then he tried to profess his undying love for you, only to be met with rejection."

Darcy smiled, mystified. "And finally … he told Bingley, I mean, Thor … that Jane was okay after all … and then made some grand heroic gesture to show that he's like, all dashing and gentlemanly and stuff."

Darcy stood there, stunned. "Jane. He kidnapped my mom."

Jane nodded. "He sure did."

Darcy started to laugh. "And it's the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me! It's the most romantic thing I've ever _heard_ of."

Jane shook her head. "Wow, Darcy. Finally, a romantic gesture that doesn't make you want to puke." She smiled. "He totally Darcy'd you."

"He totally Darcy'd me." She looked around. "Wait … why are you here? It's kinda late."

Jane grinned. "We're taking you out, you deserve it. Ladies and 80's. Dancing. It's Friday … let's go get some drinks."

Darcy gave Jane a hug. "Thanks … where's Loki?"

"He's in the viewing room with Thor."

Darcy turned and darted out the door … down the hall and to the room where Thor and Loki were sitting. She looked at Thor.

She pointed her thumb to the doorway. "Out."

Thor laughed but obeyed.

Loki began to speak, worried that she might be angry, but Darcy held up a hand and shook her head. She silently walked over to him and sat in his lap, catching him a little off-guard. She raised her hands to the sides of his face, looked him in the eyes, and kissed him.

He sighed as his arms came around her in a tight embrace, kissing her back ... and this time they melted into each other, opening, feeling, pressing … tongues and hands finally exploring. Loki's fingers were under her top, running them along her spine. His touch was making her dizzy. They couldn't exactly bang in the interrogation area at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ ... well, at least not for their first time. Perhaps later.

She broke the kiss to speak. Almost touching his lips with hers, she breathily said, "they want to take us out."

"I know."

"Let's not get into a fight afterward this time … let's, do something else."

He nodded without hesitation. "Okay."

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**This was a really fun chapter to write ... I hope you all enjoyed.  
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**Anyway, please review if you have a spare minute. Or if you noticed any glaring typos that I missed, drop me a line. I love the feedback ... it makes me a better writer. Thanks so much!**


	17. Chapter 17

XXX

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Going out to a hipster club and dancing to 80's music wasn't _exactly_ the first thing Darcy wanted to do with her Friday evening … but it would suffice, for now. She was, after all, having fun with Jane as they grooved to some "Take on Me" by A-Ha even though Thor and Loki would only watch from the bar, refusing to participate, citing that they weren't much for dancing … but it was only the _type_ of dancing they were uncomfortable with. The way that Midgardians tended to gyrate to rather strange music was a little intimidating to the princes who were used to more refined dances at court. Waltzes. Reels. The girls didn't mind, however, because it did their hearts good to see the brothers hanging out with each other … and the brothers very much liked to watch them dance.

Darcy was adamant at first not to drink much, since she didn't want her senses dulled for later in the evening, but Jane wasn't having it. For once, the scientist was the one encouraging the drunkenness as she kept suggesting they do shots whenever they went to the bar to take a break from dancing.

By the time the foursome headed back to Stark Tower, everyone was well lubricated, with Jane being the drunkest of the bunch, celebrating the fact that two of her favorite people seemed to be happy, for the moment. For the first time in two years, since meeting Thor (more like running into Thor, literally), she felt like things were good. After all the heartbreak, all the not knowing … they were finally together. Perhaps even somewhat content.

When the two newly formed couples departed the elevator to head to their rooms, Jane insisted that everyone hang out in her apartment for a few more drinks, as she wanted Thor and Loki to spend more time together … and to show them that a couple of Midgardian girls knew how to have a good time.

Darcy and Loki were hesitant, but Thor urged them on, as he wanted to please his girlfriend, but also to further seal the fragile bond with his brother.

As she guided everyone to her kitchen, Jane announced, "we're going to play a classic Midgardian game, you guys. 'Truth or Dare'."

Darcy immediately hated the idea. "Hell no." She reached into the fridge to grab a few beers for everyone. "I don't think we need any drinking games … we're all grown-ups here."

"Come on … it'll be fun!"

Thor, wanting to support Jane's endeavor, spoke up. "I'd love to partake in a Midgardian drinking ritual. Please Darcy, indulge us."

She shook her head and looked at Loki, who seemed curiously amused. "I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into. Trust me."

"We just need to establish some rules," Jane directed. "For one, no stripping."

"Stripping? What kind of game is this?" Loki asked, quickly going from amused to alarmed.

"It's dangerous." Darcy said. "Dude. I'm sorry that you didn't get this out of your system in high school … or even college, like normal kids are supposed to … I'm sorry that you decided to study away the best years of your youth … but I ain't doin' it. Truth or Dare is for amateurs."

"Come on, Darcy … I DARE you!" She laughed, completely inebriated. It only made Darcy laugh too.

"Darcy, please. Tell us the rules," Thor pleaded.

How could she say no to these two incredibly adorable drunk people? She sighed. "Okay. The rules are simple … you ask someone 'truth or dare' and they choose. If you chose 'truth', you have to answer a question. If you choose 'dare' … you have to do what is dared." Everyone sat at Jane's kitchen table in compliance.

"For this evening's stipulations," Darcy went on … "we're adding no stripping … and no sexual favors. Also, if someone chooses 'truth', let's not get too heavy, alright?"

Jane and Thor both nodded, but Loki still looked confused. "Sexual favors?" He asked. "Does this game usually not have these stipulations?" Midgard was getting more interesting by the day.

Darcy ignored him. "Alright, Miss Jane. This was your idea … you go first."

"Okay … Darcy … truth or dare."

Darcy sighed melodramatically. "Dare." She found "dare" to be a lot easier than truth most of the time.

Jane's mouth formed into a grin that would rival any of Loki's evil smiles. "I dare you to shotgun a beer."

Her friend looked unamused. "Dude. Really?"

"How does one 'shotgun' a beer?" Thor asked.

"It's something done at frat parties … something Jane apparently never went to in order to understand how stupid it is." Darcy was getting tired of the throwbacks to being eighteen years old, especially since they were in the presence of guys who had been around for several hundred years. A notion that sounded kind of kinky … but she didn't want to think too hard about that one.

"Whatever, Darcy … I've seen you do it before."

"I was bored." There wasn't much to do in Tromso when S.H.I.E.L.D. had tricked them into flying there for a "project", and all they ended up doing was sitting around. The first day or so they were angry, then when they found out the Battle of New York was going on, they were scared … then they got bored, which led to a lot of drinking and listening to Jay Z and Kanye West.

"That reminds me," Darcy said. "I'm putting on some Jay Z."

"No stalling, shotgun your beer, biznatch!"

Darcy rolled her eyes and fished her keys out of her purse. "You could at least make it a challenge." She stood up, punched a hole in the bottom of the can, covered it with her thumb and expertly brought it to her lips. She then popped open the top and gulped the beer down in about 5 seconds.

She smashed the can in her hand as she felt the familiar rush of taking in so much at once, and gingerly wiped a few drops from her mouth. "Boom!" Darcy yelled, as she tossed the can into the kitchen sink. She looked at Thor and Loki … and laughed at their expressions. They both looked shocked.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Thor asked, curious as he instantly wanted to try it.

"It's called college. And I'm also from New Orleans … we take drinking seriously down there, you have to perfect your technique early, or be ran out of town."

"Alright. My turn." Darcy turned to her drunk friend. "Miss Jane … truth or dare."

"Dare."

"Shotgun your damn beer!" Darcy yelled, pointing at her.

Jane was game … and so was Thor. After Darcy showed him what to do, they both attempted … and failed … beer gushing down their mouths and throats, soaking their shirts … and Jane taking a very long time to get all of hers down.

Both Darcy and Loki laughed. "Don't laugh so hard brother … you may be next!" Thor said, wiping off his front with a kitchen towel.

"Then I shall resist choosing 'dare'," Loki responded.

"I don't know if you want to do that … you'd have to tell the truth!" Darcy said, giggling.

Jane then ended up choosing Loki for her turn, who went with 'dare', since 'truth' did seem rather dangerous. He was then proven wrong as Jane dared him to give Thor a hug.

"Haha! Jane, nevermind, I was wrong! … I love this game!" Darcy laughed as Thor stood with his arms wide open and a big grin on his face, waiting for Loki to give him a hug. Loki stared daggers into his brother's girlfriend as he slowly stood up as well and gave Thor what was more of an awkward pat than an embrace … but his older brother then wrapped his arms around him to form a great big bear hug.

The girls fell over with drunken laughter.

Loki didn't exactly look happy, but considering how much they all had to drink that night, he took it pretty well. Had he been totally sober, no hugs would have been given.

"It's your turn, Loki." Jane managed to say between giggles.

"Darcy." Loki said, rather evilly.

_Oh, God,_ she thought. "Loki, why don't you pick Thor … he hasn't gone yet."

"Momentarily. For now, it's you. Don't try to talk your way out of it."

"Fine. I'm going with 'truth' on this one. Not choosing 'dare' when playing this game with 'The God of Mischief'."

"Very well." Loki said, figuring what she would choose. "Tell us what your tattoo means." He sat back, pleased with himself.

"Hn," Darcy huffed. She knew how to tell the truth without telling the _whole_ truth.

"You have a tattoo, Darcy?" Thor was fascinated by them, the vikings always displaying intricate work on their bodies.

"Oooh, yeah, it's really pretty. Show us." Jane said.

Darcy stood up and lifted her shirt just a little and tugged down on her jeans to reveal her ink.

"Alright." She touched her index finger to her lower stomach. "It's a tattoo that me and two friends got after Hurricane Katrina … the fleur-de-lis represents New Orleans. It's known as a French symbol and New Orleans began as a French colony. You find them everywhere down there. It's even the logo for our football team."

"That's quite lovely, Darcy." Thor said, peering her mid-section. "How does it shimmer the way that it does … I've never seen anything like it."

"It's just a special kind of ink." She locked eyes with Loki, who raised an eyebrow.

"Is that all it represents … your city?" Loki asked, inclining his head.

Darcy raised a brow right back at him. "I answered one question … normally you'd have to wait until it was your turn again, but I shall take pity on you. The three colors here represent each one of us … blue for me, purple for Jules, and green for Scott."

"Blue is Darcy's favorite color," Jane jumped in, very matter of fact.

Thor choked a little on the beer he was sipping and Loki slapped him on the back, hard. "Alright brother?" He asked loudly.

His brother chuckled through his coughs. "Oh, yes. Quite well."

"Okay, my turn." Darcy said. "Thor, truth or dare …"

The God of Thunder was elated that it was finally his turn to choose. "Dare!"

"I dare you to hug Loki."

This went on for several turns as whenever Jane and Darcy picked Thor or Loki, they'd dare them to hug each other. Thor, now infatuated with shotgunning beers, would dare everyone he picked to gulp down a can … until he picked Loki, who then chose 'truth', not wanting to get his face and shirt all wet like the happy couple had.

Thor, who was all smiles for the whole of the evening, suddenly became serious and thoughtful. "Brother," he said, his eyes becoming slightly watery. Someone had shotgunned too many beers. "What happened to you on Svartalfheim? I thought you dead, and obviously you were not." He crossed his arms. "Was it all a ruse?"

Darcy intervened. "Whoa, Debbie Downer! No heavy topics, remember?"

Loki closed his eyes, almost impressed by his brother's trickery. "It's fine, Darcy." He hadn't talked about this yet to anyone, not that he was ever given the chance to explain to Odin while still on Asgard. He looked at his older brother. "There was no ruse. I lost consciousness as you were leaning over me, speaking to me. That's the last thing I clearly remember. The rest was like a colorful dream. I encountered an intense sense of … peace. There's no other way of describing the sensation. It was something that I desperately wanted to hold onto, but couldn't." Loki then realized that everyone was staring at him, enchanted. Had he not been drinking that night, he never would have revealed such things to everyone. Perhaps Darcy, maybe Thor, in time … but never Jane. Not now.

He cleared his throat and shrugged. "I woke up sometime later. Just in time to … hitch a ride."

Everyone was silent for several long and awkward seconds until Darcy decided to speak up. "Dude. Loki. It's your turn. And Thor … I'm not sure how to penalize you, for breaking the rules, but I'll think of something."

The God of Thunder, who actually looked satisfied with Loki's answer, sat back in his chair and laughed, his mood lifted. "Of course, Darcy. So sorry to be a … how did you put it? A … downer?"

"Hmpf."

"Jane," Loki said, wanting to move on. "I pick you."

"Truth," she said softly. Jane was three sheets to the wind, but she remembered that day. She remembered how Thor held his younger brother in his arms as he lay dying. She remembered Thor's sorrow, but also the peace that he'd made with himself when he thought that Loki had redeemed himself in death. It had broken him all over again to find that Loki could have faked the whole thing.

Jane had been happy that Loki was alive though, even if it _was_ all a ruse. He was still alive. Thor had suffered so much loss because she had wandered into The Dark World. To be the catalyst for the loss of both his mother and brother, of his committing treason … she didn't know how he could look at her. "I choose truth," she said again, shaking off her drunken thoughts.

Loki sighed. "No one will pick 'dare' when I ask."

"That's because no one at this table is stupid." Darcy said.

"That's debatable. But alright … tell me, Jane. What on _Earth_ do you see in Thor?" He still had no idea why she would labor non-stop for two years to be reunited with his oaf of a brother.

Jane looked over to Thor, eyes glazed over from drinking. "He's just so … so perfect." Thor beamed.

Loki was sorry that he asked.

"Bllllaaaahhhggghhhh." Darcy made puking noises. The God of Mischief looked over to his hopefully soon-to-be lover and smiled slightly. She was everything he liked in a woman … beautiful, intelligent … and irreverent. They could have a lot of fun together, she and him.

"Alright Darcy." Jane said, annoyed by her friend's flippancy. "Truth or dare!"

"Dare."

Jane went with something she knew Darcy would hate. "I dare you to twerk."

"Oh, HALE no." Darcy pointed a finger at her friend. "No sexual favors and no stripping."

"Well good." Jane said, crossing her arms. "Because twerking is neither a sexual favor nor is it stripping."

"That's um … no way, dude." She shook her head towards the two alien brothers. "The Asgardians can't handle it."

"What's … twerking?" Thor was asking many questions that night, it seemed. He was happy to be learning so much about Midgardian culture.

Darcy looked at him. "It's something you don't need to worry about."

Thor laughed. "Come on Darcy, you're treating us like children, when we've been alive for centuries. Loki and I have seen much in our years. If you think either of us as innocent, you're gravely mistaken." Many things suddenly flashed through his head that he'd gladly never ever let Jane know he'd participated in. He was quite unchecked in his appetites in his youth, and Loki hadn't been much better.

Darcy smiled. These two fools were sure they had seen it all. "Have you ever been to New Orleans?"

The brothers looked at each other and shook their head.

"Then I'm sorry, but you're too innocent. Y'all can't handle it."

Jane laughed. "Ooo, Darcy, you said 'y'all' … you're drunk!"

She looked at her friend. "Well … how many beers have you made me shotgun?"

"You've had plenty to drink then, your ass should be good and ready. You're amazing at it. Now twerk!" Jane was tired of Darcy's stalling.

Loki became slightly anxious. "What is this?"

Darcy popped open another Miller Lite. This was actually going to happen. She was going to twerk in front of gods. She wanted to kill Jane. "It's a dance move. Big in the New Orleans bounce scene, a type of music."

Thor looked hurt. "You think we cannot handle a dance move?"

"Nope."

"Darcy!" Jane was done with her resistance. "You _have_ to! _You_ chose dare, I dared you to twerk … now twerk!"

"Ughhhhh. _Fine_. So this is happening." She was just thankful that she wasn't wearing a skirt.

Darcy went to Jane's iHome on the counter and swiped the music on her phone from Jay Z to Big Freedia. If she was going to do this, it had to be done to proper bounce music.

She stepped into the living area for some more room, which was right next to the kitchen. At the beginning of the song, before the rapid beat started to get going, she bounced up and down, shaking her hips a little in a circular motion to get into the groove. Twerking was something that was best eased into.

Thor and Loki believed this was the whole dance move and laughed … they could handle a little bouncing up and down, a little hip movement. But then as the high-tempo beat started blaring, Darcy began the actual twerking, which was basically using your hips and knees to make your ass rapidly bounce up and down. The people who were really good at it could twerk just about anywhere, even twerk upside down, and in some very strange positions … but Darcy went the more traditional route, starting while standing up with her legs spread apart. As the song went on she bent over, sort of like you would in downward dog, showing the Asgardians exactly what twerking was.

After a while, Darcy straightened up. "Get over here Jane! You know how."

Jane laughed. "I can't do it like you can!"

"That's cause you need a little badonkadonk to do it properly, but you'll do just fine. Get over here!"

Jane got up and ran over to dance with Darcy … they both bent over and proceeded with their task, bouncing to the music … ass to the audience, so to speak.

After a few minutes, things started getting dizzy from the combination of bending down and alcohol. The girls got up, out of breath, turning to the two aliens they had just enlightened.

Thor blinked, expressionless … and Loki was smirking, the thoughts in his head completely visible on his face. "So, do y'all twerk on Asgard?" Darcy asked, catching her voice.

"Ah. No." Loki said, slowly shaking his head. "Not even during the most debaucherous of spring festivals have I ever seen anything like … that."

"You … dance like that? In front of … people?" Thor finally spoke.

"Well, yeah. During bounce nights." Darcy hoped he wouldn't get weird about it. "Everybody does it at bounce nights. Don't be shocked, Thor." She laughed. "I thought you said you've seen everything."

Jane ran over and sat in Thor's lap to try and take his mind off of being appalled. It worked, as he was more than happy for her to be there … especially after witnessing those … dance moves.

Darcy saw the eyes that the pair was making at each other and took it as her cue to bail. "Come on, Loki. It's hammer time! Time for us to bounce."

He immediately stood. Whatever she meant by "time for us to bounce", he was up for it.

As she walked out the door with Loki, Jane pointed at her and mouthed "do it!" Thor saw the silent communication and laughed. Darcy quickly shut the door behind her before the guy they were alluding to could see it.

But when they were alone in the hallway, Darcy suddenly found herself very nervous. Loki walked slowly towards his apartment door and turned around, his eyes full of hope. "Do you want to come in?"

Darcy shook her head and his face fell for a second. "Not in there … you're monitored, remember?" she immediately said. "My place." Loki smiled softly and nodded. This was actually about to happen. It would take all of his control not to bend her over the couch as soon as they walked into the living room, and put her in the position she was just exhibiting so enticingly … but he was determined to take his time. To savor.

With slightly shaking hands, she found her keys and opened her door. When Darcy turned the lights on, Loki saw where she lived for the first time. He looked around, taking it all in. There was a large bookshelf taking up most of one wall in her living room, mostly filled with books, the bottom portion filled with DVDs and Blu-Rays. On the mock fireplace mantel sat a few framed photographs, and several more books, these looking old and cherished. On the coffee and end tables sat more piles of books. Books. A woman after his own heart.

On the walls, hung photographs and prints of people he did not recognize, must be more of her favorite artists. Over the mantel was a big print of a cathedral surrounded by mist. Her living space seemed very comfortable and inviting … not messy, but lived in. There were various books and papers everywhere, but it was as if everything had its place, like she knew where it all was if she wanted to find something.

Loki walked over to the mantel and looked at the picture-frames. One held a group photo of Jane, Erik Selvig, Darcy and Ian. The fact that she had displayed her former paramour's picture stung slightly, but he told himself it was only because they were part of a group.

Another photograph, a much older one from the looks of it, yellowed and slightly faded, was of a beautiful young woman with intricate dark curls, wearing a delicately crafted dress. She had a slight smirk on her face, like she knew secrets. Darcy came up behind him. "That's my grandmother's bridal portrait. Wasn't she gorgeous?"

"She was. I see a family resemblance." He said. Darcy blushed.

He then looked to the last picture, of four children at around 9 or 10 years of age, wearing next to nothing, all in the midst of laughing. A small boy with wispy brown hair, a girl with white-blonde curls, a girl wearing long dark braids, and what appeared to be young Darcy, light-brown waves tumbling over her bare shoulders, tanned by the sun, wearing heart-shaped sunglasses.

"Darcy. What are you wearing in this photograph?"

"We're in our bathing suits. We were hanging out at Scott's parent's house for that one. He had the best pool growing up."

"You've known each other a long time, then."

Darcy laughed softly. "Since we were little, we stuck together. We were the misfits."

Loki turned to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"Eh. The kids we went to school with could be pretty stuck-up, none of us really fit in with that crowd. The society people. We sort of marched to the beat of our own drums." She walked up and looked at the photo. It had been awhile since she really concentrated on it.

"Even though Scott's family was super rich—they own hotels—he got bullied a lot … he always had more in common with us girls. As for Ivy, it was known that she got into our school based on her IQ, not because her family could afford it … she had a scholarship, so she was known as one of the poor kids. Jules' family was quite well-off, they own several restaurants, but they were known to be voodoo practitioners." Darcy turned and smiled at Loki. "Very scandalous. As for me … I don't know." She shrugged. "I'm just weird, I guess. I always had a tendency to speak first and think later. I wasn't afraid to tell people exactly what I thought of them. When you're surrounded by people who only care about fake manners and manufactured charm, it got me into trouble quite a bit."

This girl. He could fall for this mortal girl. The fates were laughing at him … after all the many times he chided Thor for becoming enamored with a Midgardian.

"You are lucky that you had fellow misfits." The fact that he'd been alone in strangeness on Asgard went unsaid.

"I know I am."

They both looked back at the mantel for a few seconds, not knowing what to do next. "Do you want a beer?" Darcy finally asked, feeling silly.

Loki shook his head and then closed the gap between them with one long step.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," he said, looking her in the eyes … the vibrations of his deep and smooth voice going straight to her core.

"I know." She said breathily.

He put a hand on her cheek and she closed her eyes, head tilting into his fingers, relishing in the feeling of contact with him.

"But, you can enlighten me … later." He slowly touched his lips to hers and she wrapped her arms around his waist as they opened up to each other, their kissing growing heated.

His hands moved down to the small of her back, pressing her against him, Darcy moaning from the feel of it, the evidence of his arousal. The promise of the intimate contact they both so desperately wanted. She broke the kiss momentarily, took him by the hand, and led him to the couch. She put her hands on his chest and pressed, signaling for him to sit down and then climbed on top, straddling him, rocking against his lower-half.

This proved to be a snapping point, because Loki then attacked her mouth, his tongue insistent, his hands finally moving to a place that wasn't PG. As they cupped her breasts, and felt their suppleness with his palms, he groaned … so soft, so … ample. He moved his fingers down to the hem of her top and lightly pulled up. She happily lifted her arms to help him and he slipped it off. Darcy was luckily wearing one of her favorite black lacy bras, and as his eyes swept across her, they were filled with raw lust.

Darcy reached down and found the bottom of his shirt and tugged upward. He had changed out of his spy-wear he had donned earlier in the evening for his recent favorite casual attire of V-neck and jeans, and she loved how he looked in them … but his shirt needed to be gone as well. Loki helped her and lifted the garment away in one quick movement, throwing it on the floor next to her discarded top. She took a second to admire the pale smoothness and lean muscles of his chest and stomach, but the sensation of his skin on hers made focusing difficult. She wrapped her arms around his neck and they both grinded their hips into each other, slowly mimicking the act of coupling.

In the back of her mind, and through the fogginess of desire, Darcy realized that her phone was going off to the ringtone of the "Theme from Shaft". She momentarily forgot who's number that was, but vaguely recalled that it was someone important.

Loki anticipated her reaction to the phone ringing and said, "don't even think about it." His hands were gripping her thighs and he pulled them towards him, lessening the space between their bodies, so that she felt exactly how much he wanted her. "I will not allow you to answer anymore phone calls until I've taken you." He gave her neck a small nip. "Properly." He moved to kiss the soft skin behind her ear. "Thoroughly." He then kissed her bottom lip, lightly biting it. "Until I hear my name screamed from your lips."

Hearing these words spoken with his silken voice was like having another hand caressing her skin. She knew that he was nicknamed "silvertongue" for reasons having to do with deception and the weaving of tales, but it also had to do with that fucking voice of his.

"Mmmmmm, yessir," she murmured, her heart fluttering in her chest. Drunkenness or distractedness always brought out her usually repressed southern manners. Without being conscious of it, saying "yes ma'am" and "yessir" was second nature, even in situations when it would be viewed as rather bizarre.

Loki seemed to enjoy it though, because he suddenly stood up with Darcy still straddling him, his strength giving her a bit of a surprise. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her into the bedroom, as if she weighed nothing. It was quite the turn-on. He rightly guessed which room it was, as it was the exact same floor-plan as his apartment, only mirrored.

He laid her down on the bed and climbed over her, leaving light kisses on her skin … moving from her neck to the tops of her breasts, to her stomach … each touch inducing goosebumps or little jumps and moans. Each sound she made rendered it more and more difficult for him to take his time. He needed respite. He needed release. When he made it to her rather elaborate belt-buckle, he had trouble figuring out how to unclasp it … which was rather off-putting. It had been centuries since he'd been unsure of how to remove an article of lady's clothing.

She sensed his hesitation at her belt and reached down to help, as the concho belt even gave her trouble sometimes. As she undid the clasp, Loki moved to his own belt, undoing the buckle. This had always been a bit of a fetish for Darcy, watching a guy take off his belt. A wave of lust hit her hard and she sat up and attacked him, pulling him back above her, wanting to feel his full weight on top of her, wanting to feel friction and rhythm.

This caused a bit of a frenzy. They were no longer interested in light touches and slow exploration, their kissing growing fierce and desperate. Their arousal became insistent, needing expression, needing consummation.

As Loki's hands plunged beneath her back, and she arched to give him access in order to unhook her bra, a most uninvited occurrence happened.

"Pardon me, Miss Lewis, but my security protocols are being overridden." J.A.R.V.I.S. said, though Darcy had no fucking clue where the sound was coming from.

Both of them froze and slowly sat up, totally dazed. Totally confused.

"J.A.R.V.I.S.?" Darcy squeaked, automatically covering her chest with her arms. "I thought this apartment was unmonitored!" As the fog receded in her lust-tinged mind, anger started coming through. "What. The. Fuck!"

"I assure you, it is not monitored," the A.I. butler said. "I'm only reaching you via a building intercom system. I cannot see anything and can only hear you due to the security override."

She still covered herself. "That's not making me feel better!"

"So sorry, Miss Lewis, but Director Fury would like you to either answer your phone or to call him back. It's a most pressing matter. You would not be bothered unless it was due to dire circumstances. I won't be allowed to leave until you speak with him."

"_Motherfucker_!" Darcy yelled.

Loki, who had also gone from dazed to angry, had gotten up to pace furiously, steam almost visible from around his ears.

It was the first time that Darcy had seen him this mad and it was a little scary. The look on his face reminded her of the pictures in his file from the Battle of New York. She walked over to him and put her hands on his bare chest, ceasing the pacing. She then reached up and cupped his face. "Shhhhhh," she said, looking into his eyes, trying to calm him down. "It'll be okay," she whispered.

Loki looked back at her and nodded but he was still breathing heavily, his hands balled into fists.

"I'm not going to call him back or answer the phone until you give me the go-ahead … okay? J.A.R.V.I.S. or no."

This seemed to finally steady him, cooled by her consideration. He closed his eyes and smirked, though he didn't feel very smirkish. "You had better call him back. I told you that something has to happen first before I allow you to answer your phone."

Darcy smiled. "Yessir."

He opened his eyes. "You better watch that. Or I won't allow you to _make_ calls either."

_Hmmm, so submissiveness is a bit of a fetish for him … noted_, she thought.

She ran into the living room to retrieve her phone as she yelled behind her, "yessir"!

Darcy picked it up. Thirteen missed calls. _Damn_. She called Fury back.

He answered on the first ring. "Agent Lewis."

It was the first time he'd ever called her that, it had always been "Miss" Lewis up until this point. He was trying to butter her up. Shit must be bad.

"Sir." She said.

"You're in Stark Tower then, obviously."

"Yessir."

"We have a potential situation and I don't want to take any chances with our rehabilitating Asgardian. After being debriefed by Agent Barton about a few of the facts surrounding his little skirmish with the Chitauri, it leads me to believe that I can trust him only slightly more than I thought I could. Which isn't much. But it does make me think he won't be a flight risk if he's with you." He paused. "I hope it won't come to this, but if it does, I don't want him falling into enemy hands. It could be catastrophic. The risks we take keeping him in New York now outweigh the risk of allowing him to travel out of town with one of our agents."

"Sir?" This was sounding scary.

"I know that this is unorthodox, but it's a part of your mission. I want you to leave town with him, tonight. Somewhere that S.H.I.E.L.D. does not have a hub or an official presence. Do you understand, Agent Lewis?"

"Of course, sir." She thought of her mission and how it probably wasn't supposed to involve fucking him, but she didn't care at this point. "Where to?"

"Somewhere safe, somewhere you know where to hide if you need to."

She thought about Jules' and Miss Ramona's request to see them. Perfect. "Permission to take him to New Orleans, sir. We'll be safe there, I assure you."

"Permission granted, Agent Lewis. Agent Barton will be taking you there tonight, he's already been instructed and is in the building. A helicopter will be taking you to the airport soon. Tell no one where you're going. Only Barton."

"Sir. What about Thor?"

"If shit hits the fan, we'll need Thor in New York. Barton will fill you in on anything else you need to know. I have to go. Good luck, Agent Lewis." How could she leave without telling Thor and Jane?

Her lower-stomach began to hum. Fury had every reason to believe that things might get bad. "Be careful Director Fury. Trust no one," something made her say.

"I never do. It's why I'm still alive." He hung up and Darcy stared at nothing for a few moments, still holding the phone up to her ear.

Loki, who had come into the room, was looking at her, bewildered … questions on his face. He was still shirtless, his belt still unbuckled. His hair all deliciously askew. _God, he looks so completely fuckable, _she thought._ Maybe we have a little time …_

There was a knock on the door, which made both of them jump. Probably Clint.

Darcy sighed. "Looks like we're going on a little trip."

Loki looked as if he could kill a motherfucker with his eyes. "Splendid. A place with no phones, I hope."

As soon as they got to New Orleans, she planned on turning her phone completely off for a little while, as she was pretty sure it would be destroyed if it rang again.

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

AN: If any of you don't know what "twerking" is exactly, or have never heard of "bounce" music, or Big Freedia and you'd like to learn, I put a link to a YouTube video on my profile. There's some great examples of twerking (not at all like Miley Cyrus) if you can make it to the end of the video. It's a lot of fun, and definitely a New Orleans thing, but I do realize that it's not for everyone.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Shoot me a line if you notice any glaring mistakes ... there are sure to be a few, as I'm not exactly feeling 100% ;-) Please review if you have the time. I have the best reviewers ever. Seriously, I love you. And I'm not just saying that because I'm sick in Mexico and maybe sort of hallucinating.


	18. Chapter 18

**::::::...::::::**

**Part 2 - Big Easy  
**

"So, what the fuck man?"

Darcy opened her door to Clint after she'd scrambled to put her clothes back together and throwing Loki's in his general direction. He had caught them and walked down the hallway, where she figured he'd put them back on in her bedroom or bathroom.

"Sorry, Darcy … but I have my orders. Things aren't safe here."

She leaned in and whispered, "HYDRA?" Oops, she shouldn't have revealed that she'd known, damn drunkenness. Clint nodded though, not surprised she had found out somehow. She was a crafty little hacker.

Darcy panicked slightly. "What about Thor and Jane? What about you? How can I leave you guys?" She wanted to take Loki to New Orleans to meet with Miss Ramona, to see if her mentor could help him, but she also didn't want to leave her friends, the people she cared about so dearly, if they were in danger. Perhaps she could help.

"Darcy. It's cool. I'm here and we have Thor, we have Tony … and a few of his new suits, one in particular that him and Bruce have been working on, that's a total beast. And I probably don't need to remind you that we have a Hulk." Darcy giggled and Hawkeye went on, "you have a very important mission … it's imperative that he doesn't fall into their hands. If things go to hell, they can't know he's alive. They can't get ahold of him … who knows what they would do to him if they found him." Clint lowered his voice to barely a whisper, "and who knows if he'd turn."

Darcy shook her head. "If he turned, he'd never get his magic back."

"That doesn't make me feel better, Darcy. To think that he's only being cooperative in order to get his magic back … what happens if he _does_ get it back somehow? What then? Is he with us … or against us. We can't fight both him _and_ HYDRA."

"You don't think he's different somehow? You know, from the last time? I mean, he even _looks_ different. Something's happened."

He looked at her sternly. "So I heard, but it could all just be an act, Darcy."

"Clint." She put a hand on his shoulder. "His _mom_ died. He helped to save the _entire_ fucking universe."

"I know. And I want to believe that he's cool. The guy can actually be a lot of fun, and it seriously weirds me out to admit that … but he's the fucking God of Mischief and _Lies_ … never forget that." They were still whispering, their heated discussion barely audible.

"Yeah." Darcy was reminded of an old acquaintance back home. "But I know someone else like him. Mischievous … tricky, but without all the baggage. He's got a heart. A good one. It's possible to be like, naughty by nature … and still be a good person. A good god." She couldn't help but laugh after saying it.

"Are you drunk?" Clint thought she seemed a little more "off" than usual.

"Maybe a little … you knew Thor and Jane wanted to take us out."

"Right." He then wondered who she was talking about before. "Who do you know … another god from another planet?"

She waved it away. "Just someone I know from back home …"

"Darcy. You're not a shrink. You're an agent. Do not make the mistake of thinking you can save this guy."

"Believe me, I'm not." She looked him in the eyes, deliberately. "I'm not sure I even believe in whatever the concept of 'redemption' is … we're all just projecting and reacting to what's happened to us in our lives … and some of us cope better than others. And he obviously has some serious coping issues. None of us are perfect all the time. But if he's going to be 'saved', or whatever that means, he's ultimately going to have to save himself. No one else can do it for him."

Clint nodded. "Alright then. That I can get behind … but don't go thinking for a second that he might not betray you … that he might not betray _all_ of us. It's what he _does_."

Darcy took a deep breath. "He won't. Just trust me." She couldn't tell Clint exactly why, but she had never felt danger or menace from Loki. Whenever he'd tried to frighten her, he'd been a lot of bark and no bite.

Barton sighed. "Fine. Maybe he won't betray _you_ … and you I trust. All of us here trust you … which is why you're being given this mission. Now. Come on, we've gotta go. Pack a few things." He finally walked all the way into her apartment … freeing them from talking in heated whispers.

"Okay. What are you going to tell Jane?"

"That you're safe."

"You're not going to tell her where we're going?"

"Nope. Only four people will know. You, Loki, Fury, and myself … as soon as you tell me. The less people know, the better. You never know how someone can extract information."

Darcy nodded weakly. "I understand. How long are we going to be gone?"

"Hopefully just a few days."

She was beginning to feel better about it. For whatever reason, she trusted the Avengers that were left in New York and she trusted the ones that were in DC. There wasn't much that could get past them … and she and Loki could just go on a nice little mini-vacay to the Big Easy. Perfect.

"Loki?" she called to the guy she had been making out with only minutes before.

"Yes?" He walked out from the shadows of her hallway, having never put his shirt back on … or even bothering to buckle his damn belt.

Seeing this, and still being pretty tipsy from her night of shotgunning beers, she laughed, thinking that of all the ways she could have seen her job at S.H.I.E.L.D. working out, this sure as hell wasn't it. For one, she had began the month of October hoping beyond hope that it would have been _Clint_ walking around her apartment shirtless with his belt unbuckled … and for two, as far as she was concerned, Loki was dead and she was glad of it. Now, things were turned upside down, inside out, and sideways.

"Clint Barton." Loki said, as he slinked into the living room, having only put his hair back into place. "I assume you'll be piloting us to whatever destination you're sending us to? May I ask why we've been so brazenly interrupted this evening? Why this is so imperative?" He was still obviously pissed off.

If Clint was surprised by Loki's naked torso, he gave no reaction, which is probably what Loki was hoping for … that he'd be made to feel uncomfortable. "We're under threat," Hawkeye said cooly. "It will probably turn out to be nothing, but we're not taking any chances."

"A threat from what, exactly? If I'm to be spirited away in the middle of the night, I think I deserve an explanation."

Clint answered him without really answering him. "You can thank yourself actually, because that guy you found, was a spy. If he had the chance to report your existence before we caught him, even if it was just your alias and not your actual identity, you could be in some serious trouble. Believe it or not, it's in your best interest to leave with Darcy."

Loki stared at him for several seconds and Hawkeye didn't back down … he wasn't lying, but he also wasn't telling the whole truth. But he was also sure that Hawkeye never told the whole truth. None of these "Avengers" did … except for perhaps Steve Rodgers, and it would probably lead to his downfall one of these days.

"Very well." Loki said blandly.

Darcy reached over and poked him in the stomach, half because she was still drunk and wanted to pet him, and half because she hoped it would irritate him, the cheeky bastard. "Go pack a few things," she ordered.

He looked at her, surprised that she had touched him in such a familiar manner in front of her work colleague. Whatever she had so heatedly been discussing with Barton beforehand, it apparently hadn't changed her feelings for him.

He nodded and left to go across the hall, forgetting his discarded t-shirt he'd left in her bedroom.

Ten minutes later and they were on the roof of Stark tower, each with a small bag packed, about to climb into a helicopter … and saying goodbye to Tony, Bruce, and Pepper. Thor and Jane were doing something else, or were asleep … or just simply not told, since it probably would have been impossible to convince Thor to let Loki leave without him.

As Darcy was about to step into the copter, Tony gave her a quick hug and spoke into her ear … "I wish I had some killer advice, but all I can think of is … be careful? Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

She laughed. "That doesn't leave much."

"No, it doesn't. But that's what I mean. Do whatever it takes to keep yourself safe, kiddo."

She nodded.

"We need you back here. You're the only one that can do Kanye justice at karaoke."

"I'll come back and we'll do some Yeezus together."

"It's a date."

She also gave Pepper and Bruce a hug before being lifted away from Stark Tower and off to the airport, where a S.H.I.E.L.D. jet would take the journey south. As she watched her friend's forms get smaller and smaller, she hoped that New York had nothing to worry about, and told herself there was so much power standing down there, waving goodbye … not to mention the God of Thunder, who was going to be very angry when he woke up in the morning, as well as Jane, renown scientist and all-around smart person.

While on the plane, where it was a bit less noisy than the helicopter, she made a call to Jules, who answered on the first ring, even though it was past midnight. "HOOKER! You never called me back!"

"I know, HOE! I'm sorry, but I was … hung up." Loki began to look at her weird again, as he didn't quite understand their rather colorful terms of endearment for each other.

Darcy shot him an annoyed glance. "I'm calling to tell you that we're actually on our way."

She held the phone away from her ear for several seconds as Jules screamed in excitement on the other end. "Oh my _GAWD_, bitch! We're gonna to have so much fun! It's fucking Halloween! We're taking you _out_."

Darcy was exhausted just thinking about trying to keep up with her friends, who at this point, were much more used to the New Orleans nightlife than she was. She had been assisting workaholic scientists and learning to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent for the past few years. "I'm going to need sleep first. I haven't slept in days … and I'm currently sobering up from kind of a crazy evening."

"Shit, girl, not sleeping in days? There's only one good excuse for that. What have you been doing? Or rather, WHO?" She laughed.

"No one. Sadly."

"Hmmm … well, we'll give you a little time to sleep. A _little_. But you're coming home! You can sleep later, sometime next week!"

"I know it's late, but can you or Scott pick us up from the airport? I don't really want to call my dad."

"Bitch, we'll both be there, of course … you need a room?"

"Can he swing it? I know it's a pretty big weekend."

"Shit, he'll kick someone out for you … you know he would."

"Thanks. And uh … " Darcy tried to think of how to talk about Miss Ramona helping Loki with his little space-demon problem, with him right there and listening to their phone conversation.

It was as if Jules read her mind. "You don't have to say it. We'll talk later. A little fun first … then the serious stuff, alright?"

"Perfect. I love you."

Loki looked at Darcy and mulled over who this person was that she called these horrible names, and then said she loved them. It seemed to be the same person she talked to while they were at the salon, the only person she'd ever spoken of love to. He guessed it was her friend Jules. Julia Jupiter from her next-of-kin file, perhaps? When she talked to her on the phone, it seemed as if Darcy momentarily became completely relaxed, her authentic self and nothing else. He wondered if _he_ could bring that out in her one day … although he questioned if her friends in New York had convinced her to doubt him. He wouldn't exactly blame her if she did. For why else would they send him out of town if they didn't doubt him? He was used to it at this point.

Darcy closed her eyes after she got off the phone, fatigued, developing a headache. She had way too many U-turns thrust upon her during the evening and into the night. Loki, not quite as affected by tiredness as she, being Asgardian, wondered if she would have gone through with sleeping with him if she hadn't been drinking. It's something that might have bothered him, even though she herself had suggested such an encounter, after sending her mother off to Atlanta … but then her emotions had been heightened.

He shook his head. It had been ages since he'd second-guessed himself so much over a woman … he was thinking like a schoolboy. They were going away together, perhaps even sharing the same living space … things would happen on their own, naturally.

When they landed, Clint gave her a few parting instructions before flying back to New York, keeping her on the plane for a few minutes while Loki walked down the steps to the tarmac. "Don't use Loki's alias anymore," he said. "Think of something else. Also, here … this is the remote that sets off his ankle monitor." He took out a small and sleek black square. There was a safety switch and a small button that set it off. "You put an ankle monitor on him?" Darcy asked angrily.

Clint raised his brows. "Of course, that was always part of the agreement. Don't look at me like that, Darcy … it's not inhumane. He _did_ kind of destroy our base in New Mexico and unleash an alien invasion on New York City … he deserves to at least have an ankle monitor. Now, the GPS has been dismantled because we don't need the tracking information getting into the wrong hands somehow … but if you press this button, it will tase him and it will render him immobile." He smiled. "Zap him if he tries to bail."

Darcy shook her head, but smiled slightly. Clint would only be too excited to use this thing, reformed Loki or no. "Is this the only remote?"

"No." He grinned. "I have an app on my phone that will tase him, no matter how far away. It'll double the effect if we do it at the same time … so if he becomes violent, text or call me, I'll be happy to help."

Darcy rolled her eyes. "Thanks, but I seriously doubt it will come to that."

"Hope so. Sort of." He suddenly lost his smile. "Good luck, hopefully it'll just be a little vacation and everything can go back to normal in a few days." He stuck his hand out to shake hers, but she reached up to hug him instead. "Good luck, Agent Barton."

"Good luck, Agent Lewis." He gave her a squeeze back.

After walking Darcy down the stairs, surprisingly, Hawkeye held his hand out to Loki … "take care."

Loki shook Clint's hand. "And you as well."

As Darcy walked towards the gate to the airport, Hawkeye said, "take care of her too."

Loki nodded. "Of course."

As the two walked across the tarmac to enter the airport, Darcy breathed in the familiar humid and thick air of New Orleans. Home. Even at night, and even in October, when the usual sweltering summers have mercifully ended, you could still feel the heaviness in the air, rendering everything slightly slower than usual. It was the perfect place for just taking your damn time, going with the flow. She needed a little bit of that.

After the journey through the airport and by the shops selling "I Love NOLA" t-shirts, hot sauce, and Cafe du Monde coffee, she saw two figures off in the distance and past security who were standing, waiting for her and waving furiously. Darcy broke into a full run with her backpack almost slipping off her shoulder, in order to be reunited with them, reaching Jules first. The two were the same height, and wrapped their arms around each other tightly, with Scott's tall form coming right up behind, embracing both of them with his long arms. Loki walked up to the elated threesome, who seemed to be completely unaware of his presence, totally wrapped up in each other.

The girl, presumably Jules, was a striking beauty, with large dark eyes and a head full of waist-length thin dark braids, with the ends dyed her signature color of purple. The boy, presumably Scott, was as tall as Loki, and had the same wispy brown hair from his childhood photograph, but it was now artfully and seemingly effortlessly sticking up on top of his head, with the sides shaved. From where Loki could see, it looked as though he'd grown to be quite the good-looking lad, with olive skin and hazel eyes … which suddenly found his.

He momentarily felt as if he was an intruder on this happy regathering, but as soon as Scott noticed him, he flashed Loki a wide sincere smile full of white teeth, as if he was happy to see him. It was a most unusual occurrence for strangers to be happy to see him on Midgard. He was used to them screaming and running in the opposite direction.

"Darcy, darling!" Scott straightened up, letting go of the girls, and glided over to where Loki was standing nearby. "Is this the new one?" He looked him up and down while grinning.

"Don't tease him, Scott," Darcy commanded as she entangled herself from her other friend. "We've both had a long night." She walked up, took the boy's hand, and squeezed. "Loki, this is Scott." She looked over to the girl. "And this is Jules."

"Hellllooo," Scott said, holding out his hand to Loki. "You realize that she's mine though, right? I've asked her to marry me at least five times and she always refuses … but one of these days, she'll accept." He said with a wink.

Loki looked utterly confused. Darcy laughed. "Don't listen to him … we'd obviously never satisfy each other, he just wants to be able to inherit his grandfather's millions."

Scott flashed his magnetic smile. "Yes, and in order to marry in the great state of Louisiana, which is a stipulation that the old bastard threw in his will, it has to be to a woman, sadly." He looked at Darcy. "But don't worry, I'd let you have as many affairs as you wanted."

"Hmmmm, no. Ask Jules again."

"He just asked me again last Friday … ain't gonna happen." Jules waved a finger at Scott and then turned to give her attention to Loki. "It's nice to meet you." She reached up and gave Loki a small hug and a light peck on the cheek, who then instinctively flinched backward. The three friends snickered.

"Don't worry, Loki … it's just how people greet each other here sometimes," Darcy instructed.

Loki was pleased that Jules and Scott seemed to be genuinely glad for him to be there, but he still felt awkward and hated that it showed. "Ah. Forgive me. I was just getting used to the customs of New York, and now it seems that I must grow familiar with the customs of another region."

Jules laughed. "You'll probably need a little time." She patted him on the shoulder. "If there's something that New Orleans does well, it's having customs."

As the four of them started to walk toward the exit doors, Loki leaned over and whispered in Darcy's ear. "Should they know my real name?"

She nodded. "Don't worry," she said softly back. "I trust them with my life completely, and besides … we can't lie to each other. We're … connected."

Jules heard the exchange. "Yeah, hooker, and even more so now." She looked back at the God of Mischief with a knowing smile.

Scott interjected, taking pity on Darcy. "Come on, you look ravishing as usual, but exhausted, sweetheart." He motioned towards the direction of his car. "Let's get you to your room." He knew that she had obviously not let Loki in on some of the more finer points of their connected relationship. He wanted to give her the chance to figure out exactly what she wanted to tell him … be it the whole story, or a scaled down version of it. Withholding truth or telling lies had never been Darcy's style, but she had always needed time to do things in her own way.

"You were able to get something for us?" Darcy had been hoping that she could get a room at one of Scott's family's hotels instead of having to stay with her dad or siblings, or having to crash on one of her friend's couches. "Yes ma'am," he said. "We had a very nice room open up just today at the Marie Antoinette that I've been trying to get rid of … it was supposed to house a few gentlemen for a bachelor party, but apparently the wedding was called off … so, no need for said party."

"Damn. That sucks."

Scott grinned. "Exactly. I talked to the bride personally … she called to cancel the reservation. Apparently her best friend was the one doing the sucking."

"Oooo. Ouch."

"I _know_." Scott then put an arm around Darcy and Loki, leading them through the parking lot. Loki noted that so far, these new southerners had been openly affectionate and a bit touchy-feely. Darcy seemed to have more of a reserve about her. He wondered what had made her different.

They climbed into Scott's Passat, and then headed onto the freeway ... as they drove away from the airport, he put on a song familiar to Jules and Darcy. "Remember this?" He laughed and turned up "It Was A Good Day", one of their earliest karaoke ventures.

After a few lines of the song, they were all rapping along to Ice Cube … all except Loki, of course, who had never heard such ridiculous compositions before in his life.

Driving through the suburbs on the way to the French Quarter, Darcy sat back and closed her eyes, for the moment not thinking about New York, S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA, Loki's space-demon, or even the seriously hopped-up sexual tension between her and the alien-god she happened to be sitting next to. Nope, for now she was just happy to be singing along to one of their favorite old-school classic rap songs, back with two of her most favorite people on the planet.

As Scott pulled off the expressway and began to wind his way through the centuries-old narrow streets, Darcy smiled from the back seat. Even in the middle of the night, people were still out, ordering drinks in the bars that never closed. Reveling in the closeness to Halloween, already in costume, not that New Orleanians ever needed much of a reason to leave their houses in costume.

Scott parked in his highly-coveted spot in the exclusive lot next to the hotel, which was one of his family's nicest ones … nestled in the lower French Quarter, among the creole cottages and French and Spanish influence alive in the European-style architecture ... and where it was a little quieter and residential, a little less crowded than the crazier end near Canal St.

Darcy's friends helped them find where she and Loki would be staying, in a rather elaborate antique-bedecked room on the top floor of an antebellum building. "You pretty much have your own corner here, so feel free to be as loud as you want," Scott said as he pointed out a living area with a flat-screen TV hidden in an antique hutch … a lavish bathroom with a gigantic custom clawfoot tub and mirrors everywhere … and a master bedroom containing a balcony and a four-poster king-sized bed with a canopy and mosquito netting. Darcy raised her eyebrow at that.

"What?" Scott shrugged. "It's for effect, tourists love that shit. Old New Orleans … don't want to catch the yellow fever." He winked.

Jules piped in, "alright, girlfriend … you look like you're going to fall asleep where you stand. Get some rest. We have a surprise for you tomorrow! We're picking you up at around 11, aaaiiight?"

Darcy was so tired that she could only nod. "Aight," she barely said.

Her friends left in a flurry of quick hugs and kisses. She barely noticed the eyes and knowing glances they were giving Loki as they left the room Scott had given them, who knew full well that it only had one bed and mirrors all over the fucking bathroom with that huge tub. She would have words with him tomorrow for being so presumptuous, when she wasn't so exhausted.

She dropped down her bag, walked over to the bed and took her belt off while stepping out of her shoes and socks. Next she slid off her jeans. She then unhooked her bra from inside her shirt and reached through her sleeves to push off the straps, then slipped it off … and dropped it on the ground. She was left standing in only her peasant top and rainbow-striped underwear, and she couldn't care less how strange it must look. She was too tired to worry about proper P.J.s.

Loki watched as she peeled away all the pieces of clothing that would have made sleep uncomfortable … then she tiredly drew back the sheets and climbed inside the bed.

"Loki," she said softly. "Come here." She rolled onto her side while clutching a pillow to her.

He was relieved that he wasn't expected to sleep on the couch and decided to follow suit. He took off his shoes and jeans, leaving him in a t-shirt and boxers ... and he climbed in beside her. Loki scooted up to her back and into a spooning position as he put his arm around her. She was already half-asleep but threaded her fingers through his before nodding off completely.

They both slept better than they had in a long time. Weeks for Darcy … years for Loki.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

_Darcy knew that she'd dream in the in-between as soon as she closed her eyes in New Orleans, so she wasn't surprised when she found herself back in her grandmother's backyard, underneath the swaying flowering trees. This time it was night outside and the stars were impossibly bright, the moon sparkling through the branches as if it was a living, breathing, thing._

_"You're home." Ivy said, laying next to her, her curls looking silver in the moonlight._

_"Sort of." Darcy closed her eyes and felt the palpable and preternatural breeze on her body. "Never really felt like I had a real home."_

_"You know that's not true."_

_"I've had so many places where I've hung my hat, Ivy."_

_"But this is where you grew up. It will always be your home … even if you leave again for a hundred years."_

_"It _does_ feel like home." Darcy sighed._

_"He can be home for you, too."_

_Darcy rolled her eyes. "Don't do that."_

_"Honey, you don't have all the time in the world to be in denial. Take it from me. The only thing you're ever guaranteed, is the moment you're in. Right now."_

_"Hn."_

_"I'm not about to let you get away with all your bullshit here."_

_"Stop."_

_"You deserve love. The real thing. You both do."_

_"Gonna puke … and that's really sad, because it's really pretty here in-between worlds."_

_"Sooner than later, you're going to have to overcome that."_

_"What?"_

_"That defense mechanism you do. How you get all cringey when things get too sentimental for you. It doesn't make you a weak person to surrender to it. Quite the opposite, actually."_

_"I know that. It's why I can't do it. I'm not strong … I'm getting weaker."_

_"Bullshit."_

_Darcy was happy that one was still able to say cuss words in the afterlife … and that God didn't like, frown upon that and send you directly to someplace much less beautiful as soon as you said something like "bullshit"._

_"So what, Ivy … do you know what you're suggesting here? That I fall for the man who tried to enslave our world? A man who has betrayed his family and his realm?"_

_"Have _you_ betrayed him?"_

_"No."_

_"That's the secret to these gods of mischief. To men like him. If they feel as if you're loyal to them, they're yours until the end. Betray them … and Hell hath no fury."_

_Darcy smiled. "And you know all the gods now?"_

_She chuckled. "They're not really gods … they're just manifestations of types of energy. They can direct the flow of their energy."_

_"You sound like Jane with your talk of energy."_

_"Well, when you're in the non-physical, you're pure energy … you understand it, you can see it …. without eyes. But your god is different. He's a physical being from a different realm ... and his people have discovered ways of harnessing energy that our people haven't discovered yet. And their unique evolution has made them much stronger than us."_

_Ivy locked eyes on Darcy. "But because of their physical strength, they take much for granted. Our frailty gives us our own power. We know how to cherish. How to love unconditionally. How to appreciate. His brother understands this now. He was humbled. This is what makes him elevated … even though truth be told, he's guilty of crimes that are just as bad as your god of mischief's, and yet is called an unequivocal hero."_

_"So is that what has to happen for Loki to get his powers back? He has to do some kind of self-sacrificing humble-pie gesture like Thor? Cause I don't see that happening anytime soon."_

_"No. Not this time. Loki has been humbled in that respect already."_

_"Well, what then?"_

_"I'm sure you'll soon see."_

_So that was all the info she was getting on that particular subject …_

_"How are you?" Darcy asked._

_Ivy grinned. "I am well. You know that I am … you never need to ask me that." She reached over and touched her friend's face. "I just wish that my friends could open their eyes and see that the world is theirs."_

_"The world is ours?"_

_"All you need to do is follow what makes you happy. The trick is to not resist what makes you happy."_

_"Thanks, Yoda."_

_Ivy shrugged. "The utmost compliment, I'll take that as."_

_"As you should, Master."_

_"Now, you should listen to me, young padawan … wake up." Ivy seemed as if she was looking off into the distance, a sly smile slowly forming on her face. "Wake up."_

_"Why?"_

_"Bitch, just wake up … and remember. It's okay, you know."_

_Darcy closed her eyes in the in-between. In the space between spaces … between sleep and awake … where you still remember dreaming._

"What's okay?" she asked, languidly.

"Mmmmmm."

Darcy felt vibrations on her lower stomach as Loki kissed the skin around her tattoo … he had pulled her shirt up to bare her midsection and was hovering over her.

She could definitely think of worse ways to wake up.

Somehow, she had made it onto her back in her sleep, but he wasn't taking too many liberties, only revealing parts of her that she'd already shown to him. She instinctively opened her thighs and he immediately took the offer, lowering himself down so that his bottom-half could be cradled between her legs.

He began to nudge her shirt up with his nose and Darcy decided to help him out, reaching down to slip it over her head with as much finesse as possible, as it was kind of hard to tug your shirt off while you're flat on your back. She was suddenly completely aware of her surroundings, no longer in-between states, arousal having knocked out all the fuzziness of sleep … and she realized that she'd totally bared her breasts to him in the daylight. The sun was coming through the french windows that led to the balcony beside the bed they happened to be sharing. There was no darkness or mood lighting to hide in … everything was out in the open.

Loki took the offering with relish, groaning as he felt her soft flesh for the first time, his hands caressing, then squeezing gently, nothing covering … no cotton, no lace … only smooth skin, and his hips naturally bucked into hers as he set his mouth to a true feast, taking a nipple between his lips, flicking over it with his tongue, lightly testing how she liked teeth brushing up against them … the intense sighs she was making, told him that she liked it very much. Fucking Helheim, she was beautiful. He was utterly bewitched.

Just his tongue alone on her nipple had made her body completely ready for whatever he wanted to do to her, and could have quite possibly even made her climax, or at least close to it, with how hopelessly turned on she was at the moment.

But she needed to ask one question. "Mmmm … Loki, what time is it?"

He released her right nipple after giving her a playfully strong bite, raising himself up so that they were face to face. "I do not care." He then lowered himself back down to kiss her properly, their tongues exploring as they began a slow and lazy rhythm with their mouths and bodies. Darcy realized that she was now only in panties while he was still in his t-shirt and boxers. She remedied the shirt problem immediately as she tugged on it and he sat up for a second and scrambled to pull it the rest of the way over his head.

She hadn't had this good of a look at his naked chest the night before, through drunkenness and darkness, but now in broad daylight she could appreciate just how beautiful the lines of his body were. He was long and lanky, but well-muscled … his pale skin was smooth and cool to the touch, with a light patch of chest hair between his pecs … she noted that Frost Giants did indeed have nipples, something she remembered wondering from before, and was happy to find him completely human-looking, with all the right parts and all the right reactions. One part in particular, rock-hard and rather prominent, and rubbing up against her through two very thin layers of clothing.

His naked upper-body pressed against her naked breasts was making her sink further and further into a state of pure lust and she gladly wanted to follow her instincts, but before totally surrendering to the moment, she breathily said, "Loki … remember, they're coming to get us at 11, they said. What time is it?"

He raised himself up again and looked her in the eyes. "I told you, I don't care … let them wait outside." He kissed her cheek, moving down to her neck. "But it _is_ nearly 11," he said against her skin, his voice lowered to that arousing baritone of his. "It doesn't matter though … because I can let no more time pass without hearing your sweet voice as you come, and I feel your body completely shudder and then still beneath me."

_Damn, Silvertongue knew how to talk._

He moved down, kissing her collarbone, her shoulder, then laid light kisses on her breasts again, traveling further … to her stomach and finally to the edge of her panties. "Don't worry … it won't take too long," he said, rather smugly, a relaxed smile on his lips. The new couple moved easily together, like old lovers instead of strange bedfellows … as if they already knew each other's bodies, instead of exploring their most intimate regions for the first time.

Darcy would have rolled her eyes at his arrogance if she'd had control over the use of the muscles in her face, but they seemed to only be able to convey heady desire and a build-up of sweet delicious tension. "You're certainly sure of yourself."

"Hnnn … always." He began to tug her rainbow-striped panties down her hips.

"But what about you?" She knew what he was about to do, and it would only lead to him being even more frustrated if it was all they were able to accomplish before heading out for the day.

"I assure you, this _is_ for both of us." He then sat up temporarily to slide the fabric down and she had to close her legs to allow him to get the panties all the way off. She was all of a sudden completely and totally nude. When he nudged back between her thighs, Darcy felt him pause. She looked up to find his bright blue-green eyes staring straight at her.

"Um. Loki?" It wasn't exactly the reaction one hopes for when revealing your naked self … a look of stunned puzzlement.

But his devious smile slowly crept upon his lips. "I was told that Midgardian women never ceased to surprise … and yet here I am, amazed again and again." He brushed his hand over the smoothness between her legs.

She giggled and yet moaned at the same time. "Oh … yeah, some of us wax."

He bent his head to taste the smoothness with his lips and then his tongue. The initial contact and tender pressure against such a sensitive area made her cry out, and he gave her little time to ease into the sensation. He briefly teased, lightly circling around her clit, then lapped at the slick cluster of nerves, establishing an unhurried yet steady rhythm and pattern. He could torture her thoroughly later … for now, he just wanted to feel her climax, as being patient in the recent past had only come back to bite him on the ass.

Darcy's breathing became labored and as the tension grew and grew, her hips intuitively rose up to meet the wet pressure of his tongue. She needed something to grab onto with her hands in order to ground herself, so she ran her fingers through his hair. After a while, she was afraid of grabbing on too tight, so she settled for clutching at the sheets with her fists.

Just as she eased back and lost herself in the building sensation, he gently slid a finger, then two, inside, eliciting another cry at the feel of him rubbing her slick and heated walls, finding just the right spot as he gently pushed upwards into that "come here" movement. He then added just a touch more pressure and speed with his mouth and she was just on the cusp, the edge. One breath, two breaths, and the orgasm hit in a sensorial explosion, and a surprised moan on her lips from the intensity of it. She didn't hold back any loud sighs as he drew it out with soft licks and nudges, expertly helping her to come back down.

Loki got his wish … complete stillness after a rather powerful orgasm. Le petite mort. The little death. She couldn't move as her skin tingled and every single bit of tension in her body was released as if it flowed right out from her fingertips … after a little while she could only manage a languid, "Fuuuuuuuuuck."

He had relaxed on top of her, head resting on her stomach, his cheek feeling the faint magical fingerprint that was always barely humming just below the surface of her tattoo. He was sure that he was the only lover she'd had that could sense it. The feel of magic made him giddy and all he wanted to do was bury himself into the wet and tight heat that he'd felt with his fingers, but he waited for her to make the next move.

He felt her stomach muscles clench as she sat up slightly and felt on the nightstand for her phone. "What are you doing?" He asked. Was she seriously calling someone now?

"Shhhh," was all Darcy said back. She'd heard the faint vibration of a text message, as she'd turned the sound off the night before … and wanted to see if it was Jules and Scott, coming to fetch them as promised.

"_We're downstairs, eating some late breakfast in the lobby. Should we come up_?" Scott had texted.

"_Don't you dare. Give me at least 15 to 20 minutes_." She lettered back.

All that was returned was a ":-D" and "thumbs up" emoji.

She could tell that Loki was doing a bit of pouting at the attention she had just paid to her phone, so she took him by surprise and rolled over, ending with her straddling him. Darcy smiled down and laughed, flushed and radiant from being taken care of so well. "You're wearing your Green Bay Packers boxers."

He had liked wearing the underthings that she'd bought for him. "Are they a successful sports team?" He grinned.

"Sure. With quite possibly the best quarterback in the NFL. And one with a rabid fanbase. They won the Superbowl a few years ago."

"Sounds appropriate, then."

"They're gonna have to come off though." Loki had no problem with that … he lifted his hips as she tugged his green shorts with the big "G" across the crotch down and out of the way.

This time, it was her turn to stare in surprise … as what she had only previously _felt_ as something hard and rather large, was now sprung free from all previous confinement. He was straight-up huge. It was a little intimidating, if she was being honest … and though she wasn't unaccustomed to the well-endowed, this one looked to be a little different. Uncircumcised. Made sense … the practice seemed to be an American tradition, and Asgard certainly wasn't America.

_Okay, this is cool_, she thought, as she flashed him a crooked sly smile before gripping him at the base, rendering the silky skin there taught. She then lowered her mouth onto him, kissing and exploring at first, and driving him crazy in the process, in his raw need for some sort of warm penetration. After a few moments of getting used to the shape and feel, she took him into her mouth as much as she could and he moaned powerfully, ending in a rather un-godlike whimper, or perhaps even a sob. He needed this so bad. It had been too long. So so long.

He rested his hands on her head as she began to move slowly up and down, gradually building up speed. His fingers threaded through her hair, lifting it from around her face after awhile, so that he could see those luscious lips stretched around his cock. At that point she looked up, locked eyes with him and it all almost ended there, as a wave of want, need and lust hit him hard in the chest at the sight of her watching him watch her, as she skillfully set to her work, finding an exquisite pattern with her tongue.

He closed his eyes, knowing he wasn't going to last long … and he didn't care. He found his hips were bucking subtly, meeting her mouth and his neck strained as he stretched back, about to come, about to spill. One breath, two breaths, and he made a deep, almost violent sound, as if someone reached into his chest and pulled his heart out with their bare hand ... but this wasn't pain, but a most fierce and vivid pleasure.

Darcy felt a surge of satisfaction at making the God of What the Fuck Ever come as hard as he did and took care to finish her work, swallowing his release and continuing to lick him softly like he did for her, as the orgasm ebbed.

She collapsed onto his chest, spent … _they don't call it a job for nothing_, she thought. When he could move again, he slowly brought his hands up to her head, cradling her next to him, running his fingers down her naked back.

"Good morning." She said.

He laughed, the feel from the vibrations making her cheek tingle on his chest. She loved the sound of his genuine and effortless laugh. "Good morning," he said. "What do your friends have planned for us today? I'm already loving this city of yours."

"Mmmm, they're downstairs having breakfast. Let's just lay here for a few more minutes."

"Yes. A few more minutes …"

"Good morning," she said.

He laughed, the feel from the vibrations making her cheek tingle on his chest. She loved the sound of his genuine and effortless laugh. "Good morning," he said. "What do your friends have planned for us today? I'm already loving this city of yours."

"Mmmm, they're downstairs having breakfast. Let's just lay here for a few more minutes."

"Yes. A few more minutes …"

An hour later, after trying to call Darcy several times, and realizing that her phone was on vibrate, Scott woke up the happy couple from their orgasm-induced sleep by blaring Pharrell Williams outside their door, with one of the complementary iHomes that went with the rooms.

After hurrying to get ready, Loki and Darcy opened the door to find Jules and Scott dancing to "Happy" up and down the hallway, trying to out-Pharrell each other, completely occupied like a couple of kids. Darcy couldn't help but join in and show off a few of her fly moves, excited to be with her friends that were just as silly as she was.

Loki suddenly understood where his new lover got her spark. The three of them were patently insane, acting like children. Or perhaps they'd just never lost the youthful curiosity and care-free lust for life that usually dissolved in human adulthood.

He couldn't help but smile a genuine smile.


	19. Chapter 19

XXX

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* * *

"We're taking you to Voodoo!"

"NO! Shit, awesome! Who's playing?"

Jules gave Darcy an evil grin. "Waaaait for it … "

"Who?!"

Jules shrugged and inspected her bright yellow nail polish. "Nine Inch Nails," she said nonchalantly.

"FUUUUUUUUUCK, NO. You didn't!" Darcy's face lit up in shocked excitement, eyes wide. "Really?!"

"Really." Jules smiled at her, a swelling of warm fuzzies in her heart for making her friend so happy.

Darcy melted in her seat, acting as if she'd fainted and let out an exaggerated sigh. "Oh my God … I didn't even know they were playing Voodoo. Shows how much I've been paying attention to stuff that's actually important." She'd always loved the Voodoo Festival and since moving away, had always tried to come home for it.

Darcy tapped her hands on the table they were sitting at, all of a sudden anxious. "Fuck yeah, Nine Inch Nails! Where's our drinks?"

Jules and Scott had taken the miraculously relaxed couple a few blocks to get bloody marys. They ducked inside The Golden Lantern, a low-key gay bar on Royal St. that was famous for its brunch drink. There was no other way to start a day of music and merriment as far as they were concerned. When they walked inside, Scott had insisted that Loki help him get drinks at the bar, giving the girls a few minutes to talk.

"I gotta tell you something." Jules became serious.

"What's that?"

"I don't know what you're planning on telling him, but you're gonna have to tell him about Eshu. We're bound to run into each other."

"Is he here?"

"Halloween is tomorrow … if he isn't here already, he's not far off." Jules nodded to the bar where the guys were standing. "He'll sense Loki."

"Will he be mad that I brought him without his permission?"

"No, he's been invited by Miss Ramona ... but it's Loa and Orisha territory, not Aesir territory. And knowing Eshu, he'll probably want to mess with Loki … right before becoming his BFF."

"Right."

"What have you told him?"

"Not much. He knows about our tattoos and he has a vague idea about what they do, but that's it." Darcy sighed. "I swear, I keep meaning to tell him everything, but we haven't had much time the past few days. We keep getting … interrupted."

"Have you told him about the reason you sent us those pictures?" It had chilled Jules to the bone when she'd handed over the photos and saw her grandmother's face. Miss Ramona didn't fear much … but those images had scared her.

"No. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't jumping to conclusions … and there's just been so much shit going on in New York." Darcy rubbed her temples. "I don't even know where to start. I'm not so good with the serious-talk."

"Maybe we should all order a few more rounds of bloody marys and have a nice long talk?" Jules didn't want to give Loki any reasons to get mad or feel betrayed … she knew his kind, and it could lead to very bad things. She'd rather have everything out in the open.

"I suppose that's a good idea," Darcy agreed. She then leaned in closer to her friend. "Loki is currently powerless, in case you couldn't tell."

Jules nodded.

"Except for what looks to be an inherent ability to detect lies, which seems like more of a sense for him than a power. He's been stripped of his magic and he's not sure how to get it back. A similar thing happened to his brother a few years ago … I dunno, it seems like their dad likes to give these insane convoluted lessons by taking away their mojo right before exiling them to another planet."

"Harsh." Jules nodded her head in the direction of the bar, where Loki was standing with Scott. "He's the bastard from New Mexico, isn't he?"

Darcy couldn't find a way to defend it, but tried anyway. "Yeah? But since then he repeatedly saved one of my best friends from certain doom, one time almost getting sucked into a black hole apparently … and also helped to save the entire universe from a really freaky-looking evil space-elf. Like, he looked like _gross_ Gary Oldman-Dracula … not _hot_ Gary Oldman-Dracula."

Jules held up her hands, her braids shaking with her head. "Hey, you know me. I'm not judging … I just remember his energy from that day, and it wasn't necessarily evil. It was a painful and devastated energy … hurt and angry … bent on revenge. Drunk and disorderly on new-found power."

Darcy nodded. Sounded about right. "So you guys know he's Aesir."

"We know about him. Well, JuJu did anyway … as soon as she saw his picture."

"Can't get much past her."

"Nope."

"Can she help?"

"She thinks so."

"So I wasn't jumping to conclusions?"

"Nope."

"Do you think she could help him get his mojo back?"

"Isn't that what you did for him this morning?" She rolled her neck slightly.

"Ha! You're hilarious. No Jules, I don't know any sex magic … that's _your_ territory."

Jules smirked. "You know you could swing it, if you opened yourself more."

"Haven't I opened myself enough?" Darcy asked dramatically.

Jules sighed. "I know it's scary, but this past week, we've actually felt your energy. Emotions, Darcy! You have them! You're not just a mass of beautiful bones, flesh, and sarcasm! And what else could be inspiring this change, if not genuine human feelings for another person."

Darcy blushed. "It's hard for me to admit." She looked her friend in the eye, no cynicism present. "And all I want to do right now is tell you that you're full of shit … but _I'm_ the one that's full of shit." She fiddled with an ashtray, wishing for her drink … hell, wishing for a cigarette.

"I do care about him … and I'm not sure at what point this all started happening. Maybe it was a few days ago … fuck, maybe it was from the very beginning. But with everything that's happened the past few years … I just don't think I'm as strong as I used to be."

Jules beamed. Her friend was admitting to feelings. "All you need is a little recharge."

"I don't think I can go through that kind of pain again."

"It doesn't necessarily have to be like that." Jules was about to explain but was interrupted.

"Famous big gay bloody marys, y'all!" Scott and Loki came back with a round of drinks, ceasing the girls' conversation. "Did you tell her about Voodoo?" Scott asked.

"Yes!" Darcy shouted. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Scott grinned at his new companion. "You better watch out, Loki … if she runs into Trent Reznor, it's all over for you."

Darcy frowned, sipping at her drink. "He's got nothing to worry about. I like to admire Trent from afar, because I'm pretty sure that if I ever met him, he'd be short. Like, as tall as me. I don't want to shatter my illusions, like that one time when I met Mark Ruffalo at Mimi's, and he was shorter than me." She shook her head in dramatic disappointment. "I lost a decent fantasy that night. Nope. I like 'em tall."

"Obviously." Scott clinked his glass with Darcy's.

She took a deep breath and knocked back half of her bloody mary. "Alright, Loki."

He looked at her with those pools of blue-green ... she had his attention as he leaned back in his chair, at a table where her little group of friends had sat a hundred times. It was both strange and exhilarating to have him visiting her other life.

"Last night, you told me that I had some splaining to do … and I can't believe that was only last night, seems like a week ago … but I told you that we'd have a talk. You ready to hear a long story?"

At first Loki looked confused, but then nodded slowly. "Of course. Please." He then looked around at Darcy's two friends, wondering if they should talk in front of them.

"Don't worry," she said, guessing what he was thinking. "Anything can be said in front of these two. I trust them 100 times more than I trust anyone at S.H.I.E.L.D. … Jane excluded."

It was actually perfect that Scott and Jules be present for the conversation, since it involved them. They both had their own secrets that they could decide whether or not they wanted shared. Darcy would have had to skip over those parts, had they not been there.

She fiddled with the olives in her glass. "I guess I should start with when we first met, and I asked what I could do for you, as far as teaching you how to assimilate … and you said you wanted your powers back."

"I remember," he said with a raised brow.

"I told you that I'd work on it … but you didn't think I was being serious, did you?"

"Not at all ... nor was I being serious when I asked it of you," he said immediately.

Scott laughed. "You underestimate us … but you were put in the path of someone who might actually have the knowledge to help you."

"_Pardon me_?"

"I know, it's crazy," Darcy said, a bit heatedly. "But not all of us Earthlings are the drones that you think we are … or _thought_ we were. Some humans do have magic."

"Apparently." Loki nodded towards Darcy's lower abdomen and tattoo.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. pretty much runs on advanced science and technology … and while that's cool, I never really understood all the formulas, all the exact calculations and the stuff Jane and Erik were working on. Most of their work, all that worm-hole shit, went right over my head." Darcy made a sweeping motion over her head with her hand.

"But there are other things that I do understand … I suppose I'm more intuitive, less calculating. My mind doesn't need scientific proof for me to grasp the fact that crazy shit goes on in the universe. In New Mexico, I knew what Thor was before Jane and Erik would admit it to their scientific selves. I told them that beings from another realm would be worshipped as gods by primitive cultures. Jane believed first … but Erik wouldn't grasp the truth until he saw it with his own eyes."

She remembered how Thor ate the entire contents of their kitchen, and then went to the diner for seconds and thirds. How Jane and Erik didn't realize he wasn't a regular human, she'll never know.

"I learned to hone my intuition from Jules' grandmother, and _my_ grandmother's best friend, Miss Ramona Jupiter."

"JuJu," Jules said. "That's what her family calls her. She's the voodoo queen of New Orleans."

"_Queen_?"

Jules laughed. "It all sounds very dramatic, but yeah … more like the main voodoo priestess. She's the one that gave the three of us our tattoos."

"I've only inspected it while dormant, but that's a very powerful spell," Loki said, rather haughtily. The fact that a Midgardian had fashioned such a thing baffled him. Jules and Scott exchanged raised eyebrows at his "tattoo inspecting" implication.

Darcy nodded. "I know, right? A person born on this planet with that much magical power … let _that_ sink in for a minute." She gave him a look that said "don't be rude".

She went on ..."and also, Jules' and Scott's tattoos are actually a lot stronger than mine now. The Destroyer in New Mexico and those evil space-elves in London kind of depleted me."

Loki inclined his head sharply. "The Destroyer?"

Darcy bit her lip. "Oh. Yeah, our protection spell was at work that day pretty hardcore. Sorry, not sorry. It was before I knew you personally."

The look on Loki's face was completely unreadable, so Jules jumped in to assist her friend. "Whenever one of us is in danger, we're able to draw on each other's energies, making the spell three-times more powerful. All three of us felt you that day."

He narrowed his eyes. "I felt no other magic at work that day on Midgard."

Darcy shrugged. "I don't know, Loki ... the fact that humans might have magic probably never even crossed your mind ... if you felt it, you probably thought it was just electricity, or something. A fluke. Certainly no human could ever actually help the mighty Thor with their magic, am I right?

"You helped _Thor_?" Loki asked, saying the words between his teeth.

Jules' large eyes bore into his. "In our defense, no. We didn't help Thor … we helped Darcy. The town she was living in was being destroyed … but we could all sense the energy behind the attack. It's how it works."

Alarmed, he asked, "what did you sense?"

Jules sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. Human or no, she gave off a vibe that said you didn't want to mess with her. "At the time … it felt as if it wasn't personal. Your beef wasn't with us. There was a single-mindedness about it. It was all about Thor … and those four others."

Darcy nodded at Jules. "The cosplayers. Thor's weird friends." She then looked at her new … boyfriend? She didn't know. "Loki, I just wanted to keep the people safe … Jane and Erik … the crazy guy who owned the pet shop, and all the poor cats and dogs. Kids. All those innocent people."

Loki took a deep breath. He hadn't thought about anyone else that day. He hadn't considered the civilian casualties, nor had he cared. He hadn't known who Darcy really was, other than the fact that she was the unfortunate friend of his brother. At the time, he hadn't cared that The Destroyer could have killed her. That _he_ could have killed her … essentially robbing himself of knowing this person … robbing himself of this most unexpected and glorious gift.

Loki was intrigued. "If I recall correctly, the only being that was destroyed that day was The Destroyer … except for perhaps a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent or two."

Darcy waved away the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. She was mad at them at the time, as they'd stolen all her Apple stuff. It had taken a long time to build her iTunes back up, and she was compelled to store everything in "the cloud" ever since.

"I'm … most relieved that you were not hurt that day." It was hard for him to talk of it, the first days of his break with reality. "So, I assume the spell does more than just warn of imminent danger."

Jules explained. "At first the spell is a warning, a sense, and usually that's all we need … but then in seriously bad situations, it can also direct energy and help to create solutions that will aid in our safety. If all else fails, we can also draw on its power."

The spell had helped to tip the odds in Thor's favor, essentially. Loki had no idea what to do with that yet. "Why did the three of you decide to bond yourself in this way?"

All three of them looked down, the mood suddenly much more somber.

Darcy spoke up ... "do you remember when I mentioned Hurricane Katrina? That maybe I'd tell you about it one day?"

"Of course."

"That was the first reason. Well, it was also the catalyst for most of the other reasons."

Loki had heard of damaging weather before, the kind that destroyed everything in its path ... but obviously their city was still standing.

"It was a storm?"

The three friends looked at each other. How do you explain such an experience to an alien?

"Ragnarok," Darcy said softly. Her two friends nodded.

Scott knocked back his drink, the ice clinking in the glass. "We'll be ready for the zombie apocalypse when it comes, because we know what the end of the world is like." He stood to go and get another round, as he didn't want to talk about the storm.

Jules watched Scott as he walked away. "After Katrina, death touched all three of us. Several times over."

When her friend didn't say anything else, Darcy continued. "Things, bad things happened, one right after the other. There wasn't a week or a month that went by, that something tragic didn't fuck shit up."

"We couldn't take it anymore," Jules said. "Right after a friend of ours died, I decided it would be a good and masochistic time to go through all of my grandmother's ancient books from her library, that had been destroyed in the flood ... to see what could be salvaged. I'd been putting it off because I couldn't stand to think of all the knowledge that was lost forever. Some of those books were one-of-a-kind … or were the journals of long-dead priestesses, everything they'd learned, experienced, and recorded … gone."

Loki tried to imagine how he'd feel if the royal library of Asgard had been destroyed in some way, and found that he couldn't even bear to contemplate it.

"But I was able to save a few books … and one of the journals had the spell. I found the spell … it was calling to us. Just when we needed it."

Scott came back with more drinks and Jules picked hers right up. "I asked JuJu to perform the spell for us, even though it took a lot out of her. She didn't want to lose anything else. She'd lost two grandchildren to the storm, her house, her library, her restaurant and temple were looted … but she didn't go crazy. She could have. A lot of people went crazy. _I_ probably went crazy … so she agreed to give us our tattoos."

Darcy picked up Jules' hand and began to massage her fingers, soothing her like she'd done many times in the past. The more years that passed by, the easier it was to forget and just go about life … and it had gotten to the point where none of them talked about it anymore, letting the memories rest with the dead. It was jarring to remember that it had actually happened.

Darcy decided to steer away from Katrina a bit. "Getting the tattoo was the most painful experience of my life, of all our lives." Both Jules and Scott nodded in agreement. "Spells like that require sacrifice. Miss Ramona said that childbirth should be a breeze after going through with the tattoo. All of us slept for days afterward. Miss Ramona slept for a week."

The three friends shuddered at the memory of enduring the relentless pain from receiving the tattoos.

"Alright ladies," Scott said cheerfully. "Time to change the subject. Loki, do you feel like you have the gist of the tattoo situation? If not, that's just too damn bad, because we need to talk about something else. Today is a _happy_ day, don't you bitches forget that."

Loki smiled politely. "Of course. Thank you for telling me."

Darcy saw that Loki had a strange look on his face … like he'd just realized that it was possible for other people to feel pain and anger and tragedy, besides him.

Darcy changed the subject to one that he'd like. "We're gonna see about helping you get your powers back. Or at least get you some insight. Jules is a priestess-in-training … and Miss Ramona will be able to tell you what you need to know. We'll go see her tomorrow."

"It's Halloween tomorrow," Jules said, smiling, having cheered up. Halloween was their favorite holiday. "The veils will be at their thinnest, she'll be able to see clearly. If anyone can help you, it'll be JuJu."

Darcy spoke up. "I was actually trying to think of a way to bring you here … but I never thought Fury would allow it. Then this … situation ... kind of fell into our laps."

The God of Mischief suddenly looked to have a tiny gleam to his eye. A slight shimmer. "So … tomorrow, then."

Jules wasn't about to give him false hope. "Don't get too excited, Loki. I can feel your energy from over here … and it's still there, it's just being suppressed. But it's alien to us … and we practice Earth magic."

"You can sense my magic? It's still there?" He didn't want to seem too eager, but not having his powers had been like having a limb amputated. Like learning to live without one of your senses, like sight, or touch.

"You can't feel it at all?" Jules asked, curious.

Loki pondered whether or not to tell her the truth, then shook his head in reply. She could probably sense lies.

Jules held up a hand, casting out her metaphysical feelers. "It's there … looks to be green, like Scott's." And Eshu's, she thought.

Scott clasped a hand to his chest. "Energy of the heart!" He was excited that he and Loki had the same magic.

"The heart?" This was the first time Loki had heard of such a thing.

"Energy that vibrates green, flows from the heart …"

"And yours?"

"Purple. My energy flows from here." She patted the top of her head. Crown energy.

"And Darcy's … "

"Hers is blue. It flows from around the throat … it's why she talks before thinking, her energy is quicker and more powerful sometimes than her brain. Have you ever heard of chakras? Energy centers?"

"I'm not familiar with Earth magic."

Jules shook her head. "Energy is universal."

Loki was always fascinated with new magical theories. "So there are different energetic levels … yours and Darcy's are higher than ours?" He pointed between himself and Scott.

"No. It's not like that. One isn't necessarily more powerful or better than others … just different. We all have our gifts. To be more powerful, you can try to master more than one, but it takes years and years of practice. Not many can do it. I'm trying for two, and it's one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I want to be a priestess. There are only two people I've heard of to master four, and JuJu is one of them. Ones that can master all … are only in myth. True enlightened Gods. Jesus … Buddha."

Loki needed a more powerful drink than the one currently in his hand. How was this Midgardian girl instructing _him_ on magic?

"What is red?" he thought to ask.

Darcy laughed. "You want to know where Thor draws his energy? Red is at the bottom of the spine … from our more basal and ancient energies. Survival."

Sounded about right.

Loki blinked several times, trying to let it all soak in. "I must admit … I knew that whatever story I was about to hear, would be an interesting one … but I never thought it would be this."

"There is something else that you need to be made aware of." Jules didn't want to give him too much more to process for the day, but he needed to know about this.

Loki nodded warily.

"You are Aesir, but you are in Loa and Orisha territory … if you meet any of them during your stay here … you must be courteous," Jules instructed.

Loki felt like she'd just given him whiplash. "Other gods? You have other gods that walk this realm?"

Jules' eyes widened. "Of course! The Loa and Orisha are _of_ this realm. They are of the Earth, and this land surrounding New Orleans is part of their home. They don't go around creating a spectacle like the Aesir have in the past … and in the very _recent_ past," she winked. "I'm just saying that your chances of meeting one in particular is likely … given that it's Halloween … and he can be wary of outsiders. Mainly because of an Olympian that came to town once, but that's a long story."

Loki was perplexed, baffled. "Who is it that I'm likely to meet?"

Scott laughed and took a big gulp of his drink. "The God of Mischief," he said, looking into his glass.

"_Excuse me?_"

Jules couldn't help but smile … boyfriend thought he was the only "God of Mischief" in the universe … bless him.

"Eshu," she said. "He is Orisha. Our trickster. If you meet him, he'll probably test you … and you'll have to submit. After that, he'll probably love you … as you are, you know … brothers."

"_Brothers_." Loki didn't need anymore brothers.

"_Energetic_ brothers."

Loki turned to Darcy, utterly shocked. "You know other gods? You've known of another God of Mischief the entire time of our acquaintance? How close are you to these … Orisha?" He made it seem like she had been cheating on him this whole time.

Jules intervened, leaning forward, looking him in the eyes. "Darcy has only interacted with a few of the Loa and Orisha, and mainly because of her association with me and my grandmother. Like I said before, they don't tend to flaunt themselves outside of their territory, and if she was _ever_ to report their existence or whereabouts to her organization, she would face consequences. _I_ would face consequences." She held his eyes. "Darcy. How many people at S.H.I.E.L.D., or your life in New York, know anything about your life here in New Orleans … besides the basic stuff, like who your parents are or what schools you went to."

"Only Loki."

"Hear that? Only _you_."

Loki backed down, but was still not exactly happy with the whole thing.

After a few moments of strained silence, and everyone poking at their olives and pickled green beans with their straws, he decided to broach a different subject. "So, if I'm understanding this correctly … your tattoos allow you to draw on each other's energy, essentially allowing you to use three different types?"

"He's smart, Darcy." Scott said.

"What is the bond that you share? How is it that you cannot be untruthful with each other?" Loki had wondered this since Darcy had mentioned it last night.

"That's part of the sacrifice," Jules said. "Allowing other people access to our energy, to know our feelings. There's no hiding. Fortunately, we've been close all our lives … we always knew what each other was feeling anyway."

"So all of you know what the other is thinking right now?"

"No. If we concentrate, we can pick up on each other's feelings … if we're touching, we can communicate telepathically. But it's not something we've ever exploited. We all respect each other's privacy."

"Darcy is by far the most private. She likes to wall herself off, and she can do it with her type of energy," Scott said.

"What do you mean?"

Darcy spoke up. "Sometimes the bond has been uncomfortable for me … scary. When I open up to it more … it allows other things in."

Loki was becoming aggravated. "Other things," he repeated.

Jules was wary about telling him more, but it would be worse to start lying. "Other things, meaning Darcy's natural abilities that she suppresses."

Loki's eyebrows raised in a gesture that said to keep talking.

"The Force is strong in this one … with her energy and intuition, she can communicate. If she'd learn how to control it, she could be a great medium."

Darcy shook her head vigorously. "No way, José."

"Why wouldn't you want this?" Jules had never understood how she could suppress such a gift.

"Hellooo! Because it freaks me the fuck out!"

"So I'm just curious," Jules wondered … "this past week, you've opened up a bit. Has anything happened?"

Jules and Scott could subtly feel Darcy when she was talking to the prisoner … and also the energy from when she and Loki were at the bar, facing the creepy predator. Her friends had both felt the vibes she had been hopped up on, after Loki came up from behind to embrace her, the first time he'd felt the tattoo … and the very subtle sexual power between them that had been created. Jules hadn't said anything yet, but their powers had been compatible, even with his being hidden from him. She had been happy that Darcy allowed herself to feel it.

"I've had two dreams about Ivy," Darcy said into her drink.

"What did she say?"

"That she's happy."

Jules would give anything to talk with Ivy again. "I don't understand why you don't want to hone your abilities."

Darcy raised her voice. "Because I'm cool with how things are. I like my life, my job … I like computers. I like reading fantasy series and binge-watching shows on Netflix. I like watching football on the weekends and maybe going to the corner bar for a few beers, singing karaoke with Jane. Teaching Steve about all the cheesy 80's movies he missed. I even like my assassin training! I don't have time to talk to people on the other side, or to the scary motherfuckers that are stuck here. I don't need all the sad-sacks of the netherworld following me around, and scaring me half to death in the middle of the night, because _that's_ when they always tend to show the fuck up! When I'm trying to sleep!"

Jules nodded her head, backing down. "Aight. But you never know when things might change."

Darcy was well aware of the fact that things might change very soon. Fucking HYDRA. Fucking space-demon.

"Why would you not tell me of these abilities, Darcy?" Loki went back to looking angry, like she'd cheated on him.

She sighed. "Because I like to forget about them. I like to not think about it."

"You could have told me about it. About all of this." He waved his hand in a gesture to represent all the facts thrown into his lap in the last few hours.

She looked up at him. "Loki? No one knows … not Jane, not Erik, not Ian … not Tony Stark. _Definitely_ not Fury. And no, not Cap either," she said.

"Besides … have you met you? Would _you_ have trusted you? You were kinda mean to me during our first few meetings … and I've been meaning to enlighten you sooner, but the past few days have been crazy. I haven't had much time to bare my soul to you."

Jules jumped in. "She's telling you now, Loki. Considering the rate at which our Darce likes to open up to people about things other than Star Wars and Harry Potter … I'd say you're pretty fucking special."

"Try the most special person that ever lived." Scott said, nodding.

Loki's eyes began to soften. They were right, he supposed … he now knew more about her than anyone in New York. More than her former lover. He could live with that.

Darcy rolled her eyes at her friends. Saying the shit they were saying, the two yahoos were practically on a mission to escort her and Loki to the all-night wedding chapel on Bourbon St.

But this time, she resisted the urge to make puking noises and stick her finger down her throat.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Loki was bewildered, something he wasn't comfortable feeling. His first impression of Darcy had been so wrong … so very very wrong … but at the time he was so angry at being cast out among humans, that he didn't stop to think that any of them were actually interesting … least of all powerful. And come to find, she was interesting and powerful. And beautiful. Full of surprises.

After another round of bloody marys and talk of lighter things, Scott ushered everyone to his car and set off towards City Park, which housed Voodoo … New Orleans' three-day rock festival that always happened every year around Halloween. Darcy always tried to attend, as the conditions to enjoy music were perfect. The weather was mild, not sweltering like other music festivals tended to be. The park was beautiful, boasting spanish-mossed trees with shade if the sun decided to beat down during the day … and cool air at night, perfect for listening to music under the stars.

There was also the food.

At any music festival in New Orleans, the food was always part of the back-up band. As soon as they walked through the gates, Darcy headed for the char-grilled oysters … something you just couldn't get anywhere else … at least not done right.

Jules yelled after her. "Hey, hooker! Not yet! We have to stop by Mama's place. It's how we got all the free tickets."

There was always one of Jules' family's restaurants represented at most of the festivals in New Orleans, and there was _always_ a festival going on. Growing up, the friends would help to work the booths for a few hours and then go out and enjoy the free entrance. Darcy, Scott, and Jules never exactly needed the financial assistance to get in, but it did make it easier for Ivy to hang out with them without feeling different, since she couldn't always effortlessly afford such things.

In the middle of the park, the four walked up to see Jules' mom in the cluster of food tents, representing her French Quarter restaurant … it was famous for fried things and dessert. Darcy nearly burst into tears when she embraced the woman who served as a mother-figure for most of her life.

Jules' mom held her back to get a better view. "Look at you, girl! You get more beautiful every time I see you."

"I've been working out more … my supervisor insists that I take self-defense classes." More like Natasha makes her take assassin classes, but she didn't need to clarify that.

The older woman shook her head. "No … it's not that, you just look … happy, little girl."

Despite everything that was going on, Darcy realized that she was actually rather happy. It might of had something to do with having such a great morning.

Jules' mom looked to Loki, realizing that he wasn't a normal fixture in this usually tight-knit group. "Loki, this is Nella Jupiter, Jules' mom." Nella gave Loki a bright smile and a greeting kiss on the cheek, "Hey there, sugar."

Loki couldn't help but smile … he was absolutely certain that no one had ever called him "sugar" before. The American South was certainly a very strange place, and getting stranger by the hour.

Another thing that was strange, was the fact that Nella, Jules' mother, looked more like Jules' sister. He noted that if the three friends were the same age, being in school together … that meant they all must be in their mid-twenties … late twenties at the very most. Nella didn't look a day older than 30 … how was this possible?

The only telling feature that conveyed more years, was the slight touch of grey threaded through the elaborate up-do on her head, made up of braids like Jules' that had evolved into dreadlocks. The woman was strikingly beautiful, with the same large dark eyes as her daughter, high cheek-bones and an infectious smile that lit up her face.

Nella looked Loki up and down. "Boy, you don't look like you've ever tried chicken and waffles. You also don't look like you've been fed properly in quite some time … let's take care of that." Even though she looked young, she projected the warmth and energy of a seasoned caretaker. A mother. A nurturer. Loki knew this energy … he smiled, thinking of Frigga.

Darcy laughed. "I can pretty much guarantee that he hasn't had chicken and waffles."

"Ah. No, I have not." He had no idea what "waffles" were and wasn't sure if he wanted any part in eating them. They sounded like bugs … or some sort of hideous Midgardian vegetable.

What ended up being thrust into his hands, was a paper container holding bites of food stacked up on little sticks.

Darcy decided to teach him the ways of southern food. "Here, Loki … they're just chicken and waffle bites. Just pick up the tooth pick and pop it in your mouth." She plucked one from off the paper tray. The bottom layer was a perfectly round piece of homemade Belgian waffle, cut out with a small cookie cutter, and was topped with a crispy chicken nugget, made with Nella's top secret famous fried chicken recipe. She dipped the bite in the accompanying praline sauce and slid it off the toothpick with her teeth.

"Oh my god," she said, chewing slowly. "This is better than some of the sex I've had." Darcy's eyes rolled back in her head as she savored the food.

Loki looked at her in puzzlement. She must have had some rather boring lovers in her past.

He followed suit, deciding to try one of these chicken and waffle bites, figuring that it would be rude if he didn't eat this woman's creation that she'd gifted him with. After dipping one into the strange brown sauce, he tentatively put the whole thing in his mouth, hoping it wouldn't be too bad. Midgardian food tended to be very hit or miss … with mostly misses, the strange frozen boxes being the worst.

But as he began to chew, and picked up on the crunchiness of the chicken on the outside, along with its juicy tenderness on the inside … on top of the chewy and dense subtle sweetness of the waffle, he realized that this was something good. _Very_ good. But the sauce that came with it … it was as if Valhalla had opened up and poured itself into the little plastic vial of syrup. It was sweet, sticky, and slightly salty … an awe-inspiring condiment.

He hated to admit it, but this chicken and waffle was actually better than some of the sex that _he'd_ had.

It took him a few minutes to be able to speak. "This … this is exquisite."

"I'm glad you like it," Nella said. "Now, I want you to come to my place later and I'll feed you properly … since it doesn't look like _someone's_ doing a very good job." She looked over at Darcy with a raised brow, assuming he was her new boyfriend that she'd been woefully neglecting, especially being a southern girl.

Darcy held up her hands. "Hey, don't look at me! He's the world's pickiest eater. When he's already convinced himself that he doesn't like American food, it's hard to get him to change his mind. So far, all he's liked is Hawaiian pizza."

"That is not true. I quite enjoyed those little round green candies," he said with an evil grin.

Darcy blinked at him. "Yeah. Those were awesome," she said, drowning in sarcasm.

Nella was outraged. "M&amp;Ms? Pizza and candy? Oh, no no no no, you bring him by soon, Darcy. I'll show him."

"Okay. I promise."

After saying good-bye, Darcy got her char-grilled oysters and Loki was again surprised and delighted as he tried the southern delicacy … after watching workers on gigantic grills dump copious amounts of butter, breadcrumbs, and spices onto the briny morsels, served in their own shells.

The four sat under a tree, piling up oyster debris, soaking up the sea-flavored butter with pieces of french bread, and enjoying frozen daiquiris. It was late afternoon and the sun had started to sink lower into the sky, the colors of the park becoming more vivid and less bright from the sun glaring down … the air a little cooler. They could hear the beats from a nearby stage, and watched the colorful festival-goers walk by on their way to viewing different bands, some in their Halloween costumes.

Loki was interested to learn about the things that Darcy and her friends did for fun, but had no idea that Midgardians had cultivated such events. This was a festival dedicated to listening to music, drinking, and eating food … and from what he could gather, those were three of the main things that her city was famous for. Such things didn't happen on Asgard. They had festivals that coincided with the seasons, and celebrations after battle … but nothing this casual. This free. All of the young people walking around were simply there to have fun and because they loved music. It was, as Darcy would say … laid back.

"Scott." Darcy had noticed her friend's recent fondness for playing Pharrell's music, as he had played him again in the car during the ride over … but also noticed he had started dressing like Pharrell too. "What's with the bow-ties, button-downs, and long shorts? I really hope you don't break out one of those weird hats."

Scott continued to eat his oysters without looking up. "Did I say anything to you during your Gwen Stefani stage, when you were hanging out on Decatur St. with baggy cargo pants and belly shirts, hustling beers from frat-boy tourists?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, you did."

Scott gave her an indignant look. "Well. Something needed to be said."

"Ha! You never liked the way I dressed."

"I've gotta say that whoever has inspired this new change in you, I wish I could kiss them. You're actually wearing clothes that fit you!" He feigned being shocked, clutching at imaginary pearls.

"That would be someone named The Black Widow. She convinced me that boobs can be used as deadly weapons."

"Honey, even _I_ could be brought down by those," Scott said, nodding to her chest. She had taken a page from Loki and was wearing her own grey fitted V-neck shirt that showed a respectable amount of cleavage, a flowery skirt, and Converse.

"Don't you agree with me, Loki? Those are her two best weapons," he winked.

Loki smiled slowly, remembering the morning, when he'd first laid eyes on them. It had been revelatory. "Indeed." His eyes were unfocused.

Darcy threw a piece of french bread at him. "Men are such suckers. Dudes, gay, straight, aliens, gods … _all_ of y'all."

Loki smiled at her. "And in that respect, I don't mind being lumped into a category with all the other oafish males of universe … if taking pleasure in the world's most perfect pair of breasts makes me a sucker, then I'll quite happily wear that title with honor."

All three of them couldn't help but plaster a big stupid grin on their face.

Scott cleared his throat. "Hey, on Asgard … how many pairs of panties came flying off just by using that naughty tongue of yours, with that voice?"

Loki felt himself blush slightly and wished he'd had his magic … it was how he usually prevented such things. Being powerless meant that he had to show other people more of what he was actually feeling. He wasn't used to it.

"Em. Not as many as what you're imagining."

Scott was intrigued. "Well, did you constantly flash around your collection of V-necks, as you seem to be doing here, like a dirty whore?"

Loki looked down at his ensemble … he liked V-necks, they were much less constrictive than his everyday uniform back on Asgard. He also had taken a fancy to dark and perfectly-fitted jeans. He liked his leather trousers as well, but figured they wouldn't be very comfortable in the heavy air of the American South.

"No. These are my Midgardian clothes."

"Midgardian?"

"Midgard," Darcy said. "It's what people on Asgard call Earth ... and he wore a lot of green over there … and leather armor, and a helmet with long horns."

"Long horns? Hn. How appropriate," Scott grinned.

"The people of Asgard fancy a different aesthetic. Most of the ladies prefered my brother."

Both Scott and Jules looked baffled.

"Asgardians apparently prefer blonde Clay Matthews linebacker-types," Darcy said.

"Ew. I hate big beefy muscles." Scott made a face like he'd tasted something sour. "I don't like feeling like I'm being fucked by Arnold-era Conan the Barbarian. Makes me feel like my IQ has dropped at least 20 points."

Loki laughed into his drink.

Darcy had figured that Loki's home had been filled with blind people. "Asgardians sound straight-up idiotic. I can't imagine a place where that Robin Hood guy ... and I'm talking Cary Elwes, _Men in Tights_, Robin Hood ... _Fandral_ motherfucker, is seen as a handsome and seductive lothario, and you're not." She threw another piece of french bread at Loki, grinning at him.

He looked at her with a crooked smile in return … he so wished that Fandral had been around to hear that, the arrogant twat.

"Hn. Well here, you strut around like all that? …" Scott waved his hand up and down in Loki's direction … "and all the panties be flyin' out the window. Hell, you walk down the gay end of Bourbon and all the _drawers_ be flyin' out the windows too."

"He ain't lyin'." Jules raised her hand as if to say "amen".

Loki shook his head, strangely embarrassed by the attention. "I'm used to Midgardians recoiling and running in the opposite direction."

Scott blinked. "Can't take a compliment, can you? You sound like Darcy. The two of you are perfect for each other."

Since he mentioned it, Jules wanted to say something about Loki's relationship with Midgardians, and why they would run in the opposite direction. "Loki." Jules held up her fist to him, which the Asgardian had no idea what to do with. "Bump my fist, Loki."

He awkwardly complied.

"We cool, aight? It's something that a lot of us _Midgardians_ can do … we can forgive. Life's too short to fuck around. Hell, American soldiers dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan during World War II and they're known as "The Greatest Generation". We understand that things are relative and that there are different sides to every story. You still have the chance to do and be something great."

Loki wondered how many of those daiquiris she'd had.

"Just don't pull any of that invasion shit again … you hear me? I'll personally kick your ass."

Loki only nodded, believing what she said. He had no doubt that if he employed anymore Chitauri to invade, she would in fact, find him and kick his ass. He felt a genuine fondness for these two. They were honest and intelligent and quick-witted. They also didn't discriminate, accepting him immediately based on Darcy's affection, trusting her feelings.

If he'd had friends like these on Asgard, who knew how differently things could have turned out.

Darcy looked on reverently, glad that everyone had taken an easy liking to each other. She knew that if Loki could experience a few days of laid-back fun with smart and non-judgy people, it could do him a world of good. She only hoped that things could stay like this for the rest of their trip.

The rest of the evening was spent wandering around different stages, in between grabbing some creole delicacy or other, whether it be a snack or a drink. Loki had taken quite a liking to chicken and waffle bites, and went up to Nella's booth for seconds and thirds. Darcy and Jules fawned over a plate of crab cakes and shared an order of beignets that were covered in powdered sugar. Scott had decided to try anything that came on a stick, being rather taken with the famous "gator on a stick" and finishing up with a seriously creative "fried bread pudding on a stick".

Loki's first exposure to what Darcy and her friends called "rock shows", was a most enlightening one. He admitted to not exactly enjoying a lot of what Darcy called music, but out in the open, with the sunset, and the gathering of people ... being brought together by one major thing in common, a love of music … it was exciting. Or it could have all been the hurricane drinks that were filled with rum ... he didn't know, and didn't care any longer.

He now understood what Darcy was talking about, days ago, when she said the best way to get people to love you, wasn't to invade and become their god, but to become an artist of some sort … perhaps become one of these rock stars. As the evening went on, the stages became increasingly crowded as the more familiar acts performed. People cheered for their favorite musicians, they danced, they swayed to their music and sang all the words, as if being possessed by a spirit, possessed by the musician's song, their lyrics, their energy. Their creation.

But nothing prepared him for the reaction of the crowd, when everything went dark, and Darcy's beloved band went on stage. At this point, it was night-time, and the air had a slight damp chill in it … several stars peeked through the silvery clouds as the crowd when absolutely batshit-crazy insane when the band members came out, picked up their instruments, and the light-show began.

He felt a slight pang of jealousy, if he was being honest. The unabashed worship from the thousands in the crowd, the rabid support and love from the audience … Loki had never witnessed anything like it. Not even the people of Asgard acted this way for Odin.

When Darcy's dark artist made his dramatic appearance and began to sing, the crowd screamed, they clapped, they jumped up and down. They reacted as if they had just caught a glimpse of god. The god who came to them at night, and sang songs that spoke of their plights. Spoke to their souls.

But this was just a man.

After a few songs, Loki realized that the whole crowd was hopped up on an almost sexual energy … the beats, the music, it was all very seductive and dark. It wasn't about happiness and dancing and togetherness, like a lot of the other music was … this was darker. It was about sex … and not just that. It was about dirty sex. Primal sex. The artist even had a song where he admitted to wanting to "fuck someone like an animal." The thousands in the crowd were building up a Dionysian energy … of drink and lovemaking in the dirt, under the moon and the stars.

He wanted nothing more than to take Darcy, find a secluded corner in the park, and fuck her brains out.

But she only had eyes for the stage, except when she closed them, held her hands above her head with the rest of the audience, and sang along with the lyrics. It was as if stress and tension and anger and hate were all exorcised, as people would recite well-known words into the night air, like a prayer, like a chant.

_"It didn't turn out the way you wanted it to_

_It didn't turn out the way you wanted it to, did it?_

_Now you know_

_This is what it feels like_

_Now you know_

_This is what it feels like"_

Darcy and her friends went wild, dancing, possessed by a spirit of song … yelling in unison with the crowd, into the night, "_now you know … this is what it feels like_" … a song they'd probably heard hundreds of times, being performed live, in front of their very eyes.

He finally understood what Darcy had meant by the music being cathartic, when the crowd went mad for one of their more well-loved compositions. It actually spoke to him.

_Shove it up inside_

_Surprise_

_Lies_

_Stains like the blood on your teeth_

_Bite_

_Chew_

_Suck_

_Away the tender parts_

_I want to break it up_

_I want to smash it up_

_I want to fuck it up_

_I want to watch it come down_

_Make me afraid of it_

_Let's discredit it_

_Let's pick away at it_

_I want to watch it come down_

_All the pigs are all lined up_

_I give you all that you want_

_Take the skin and peel it back_

_Now, doesn't it make you feel better?_

_The pigs have won tonight_

_Now, they can all sleep soundly_

_And everything is all right_

Asgard simply did not have songs like this ... and Loki was pretty sure that if anyone tried to sing such songs, they'd be banned.

If one could just perform, or listen to music that's about fucking things up … instead of_ literally_ fucking things up … is that not better? And this man … he was worshipped for it, for giving these people that experience. He was utterly brilliant.

Loki was beginning to change his mind about humans and their art. This was an outlet. It was a release. Everyone was going to go home to their beds much less angry tonight. Much more inspired. They would probably fall asleep with a smile on their lips at the memory of the experience. And some would be inspired to fuck their partner into the mattress before drifting off, like he planned on doing.

After the climax of another rather atmospheric and beautifully dark song, Loki grabbed Darcy away from her attention to the stage and giant screens, featuring the band member's images with bright lights. He crashed his lips onto hers and drew on the sexual energy from the crowd and the music, feeling it pulsing from within.

Darcy was somewhat surprised by his reaction, as she didn't think Loki had liked the music … but she was definitely not angry. She closed her eyes and let him kiss her thoroughly as she responded right back. She didn't even care about the public display they were giving, like she would have in the past. After awhile, the concert itself faded as nothing else really mattered but him kissing her.

And truth be told, even though the show was only half-way over … she was ready to get out of there and properly test out that four-poster bed, as well as Scott's instruction that they could be as loud as they wanted.

_Sorry Trent Reznor, but the God of Mischief trumps you._

She laughed lightly into Loki's lips and looked up at him with lust and excitement and want … and perhaps something else that was developing just under the surface. A kind of adoration, a respect. He was always so beautiful, and yet never knew it. No one had told him that … or loved him in a way that made him believe it. It broke her heart. What the hell was that, the feeling …

_Perhaps it was the beginnings of love._

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

The drive home was torture. They did end up watching the rest of the show … staying for several encores, and then helping Jules' mom to pack up her restaurant's booth. By the time they made it to the car, traffic had died down a little, but it was still horrendous … taking far longer to get back to the Quarter than it normally would.

Loki and Darcy sat in the back seat of Scott's car, watching the elaborate southern mansions on Esplanade Ave slowly go by, wishing they could just teleport to their room.

As Scott finally dropped them off, Jules let them in on plans for the next day. "We'll pick you up again tomorrow, same time, to meet with JuJu. It's also Halloween … we have a costume for you Darcy, but we're gonna have to figure something out for Loki."

Darcy stood outside the car, leaning towards the window on Scott's side. "What are we?"

Scott flashed a grin "Sexy ghostbusters."

A smile lit up her face. "Nice!"

"And I'm Gozer the Gozerian. My costume is _tight!_"

"That's gonna be awesome."

Scott ducked his head out the window. "Hey, Loki … are you a _god_?"

"I'm sorry?"

Darcy punched Loki in the shoulder. "Ray! If someone asks if you're a god, you say _yes_!"

The friends broke out into hysterical laughter, and as usual, Loki had missed something.

Darcy leaned into the car and gave Scott a kiss on the cheek. "I love you guys." As her lips touched his cheek, she could hear him inside her head … "_go bang that man like a screen door in a hurricane, you lucky bitch_."

As she stood up, she winked at him … he gave her a wicked grin and rolled off down the street. Loki and Scott both had the same green energy for a reason. They were both _wicked_.

She turned around, took Loki's hand, and they walked through the lobby that was set up to look like nothing had changed since the Civil War ... and rode the elevator up to the third floor in silence.

As soon as Darcy opened the door with her key card, and they stepped inside, Loki had her pinned up against the door with his hips, grinding them into hers, attacking her mouth, then her neck.

"Wait," she said, needing to breath. "Wait."

Loki stepped back, looking like it was the hardest thing he'd ever done … pure need and confusion on his face.

Darcy took her small handbag that was still across her shoulder and opened it, taking out her phone. She could tell that Loki was about ready to grab it and throw it off the balcony ... but she smiled at him seductively, making a big show out of pressing the button that turned it all the way off. Then she dropped both her phone and her bag on the floor.

He wanted to attack her again, but he couldn't move. All he could do was stare, stand there, and breath … she was so beautiful.

Darcy leaned back against the door, slipping off her shoes. "Take your shirt off."

He cocked an eyebrow, but complied, slipping it up and over his head in a fluid motion … then waited.

She took her shirt off as well, leaving her in a brand-new bra … the only one that had any bits of green in it. It was light blue, but the lace trim was his favorite color … best she could do.

"Take your belt off." Her eyes went to the front of his jeans.

She watched as his large hands and long fingers went to the buckle. He undid it slowly, the sound of metal clicking on metal. She slowly stepped over to him and lightly ran her hands over his chest, then sank to her knees, all while keeping eye contact with him.

_Nope, can't say any kneeling jokes right now ..._

She turned her head and rubbed her cheek against his hard-on … a strangled groan escaped his lips as he brought his hands to her head, burying his fingers in her hair.

She stood up again and kissed him softly. His control broke and he attacked her again, pulling her tight against him. "Darcy." His voice was rough. "No teasing, not tonight. I need this. I've waited too long for this. It has to be now."

She nodded. "Yessir."

Lust and need hit him in the chest, and his hardness strained against the zipper of his pants, becoming painful … he wanted her so bad. He hurriedly slid her skirt down and unhooked her bra, slipping the straps off her arms and letting it fall to the floor. He then grasped her thighs and effortlessly picked her up, wrapping her legs around him. She threw her arms around his neck, kissing the sensitive spot behind his ear, breathing in the male scent of his skin.

Loki headed to the other room and practically threw her on the bed, rushing to take off his jeans, slipping down his boxer-briefs. He paused for a few seconds to look at her mostly-nude form, smooth and flushed, with an enticing smile on her lips, laying on the antique Midgardian bed … something that would have almost looked at home on Asgard. The moonlight was shining through the French windows, casting a silvery hue upon her skin. She looked like a goddess.

He walked over to the bed and sat down, slipping off her blue panties with the green trim … knowing that she'd worn them for him … and slowly climbed over her. There were no longer any confines. Just naked skin on skin.

Darcy couldn't help it … she was breathing heavily … mostly due to arousal, desire, and the way that he was looking at her, as if he wanted to straight-up devour her … but also because of nervousness. This was going to _mean_ something. She wasn't just fucking him … she wasn't just having fun. She was developing serious feelings for him, and this was going to mean something. It was kind of freaking her out, but in a good way.

He bent down to kiss her, hands moving over her breasts, kneading them, and she could feel his cock on her inner-thigh, hard and insistent. He couldn't help but to pay due attention to her nipples, coaxing them with his tongue and teeth, to become erect ... and she arched her back as if she was pleading with her body, needing something more. He couldn't wait a second longer.

"I'm not sure how much control I can have … I'll try not to be too rough." He didn't know if his Asgardian strength could hurt her … he'd never made love to a Midgardian.

He slipped his fingers over her, feeling how wet she was, and groaned into her lips. She opened her legs wide to receive him. "Be as rough as you need," she said in a low whisper. "I want you to fuck me. Please, Loki … fuck me. Now."

The look he gave her held so many emotions, and she brought her hand to his face to let him know that she understood. It was about to mean something.

He kept his eyes locked with hers, as he began to enter. It wasn't exactly like sliding a knife through softened butter. She hadn't had sex in a while, and was tight ... he needed a few small strokes to work his way inside … inside her slick and heated walls. That sweet warm passage. He closed his eyes, it was almost too much.

They both cried out as he slid in all the way, and she was open enough that he could pull back and thrust in again, filling her up completely, a tender invasion, a victory … all of the build-up, the palpable sexual-tension being released in that moment. Darcy's eyes rolled back in her head at the feel of him finally inside her … he was huge, and the sensation was intense, almost too intense. And how she felt was almost too intense. She cared for this man … and they were wrapped up in each other, giving and receiving pleasure simultaneously, not just one at a time. She was cradling him between her legs and he was looking down at her like he was hers, and she was his.

Then he began to move, gently rolling his hips, trying to savor, to go slow at first ... but then she spoke. "Nnnnn … Loki … you feel so good." Her hands slid over his back and down to his ass, pushing him further inside as she wrapped her legs around him.

He could not be gentle any longer. After his next few thrusts, they both just lost control, their coupling became intense, vigorous, and after a while, downright primal. The sounds they were making were primal. She raked nails down his back and he hooked his thumb under her knee, pushing her thigh down towards the bed, opening her to him even more. She held onto his shoulders as he relentlessly pounded into her, biting the flesh on his upper arm, the muscles flexing as he moved above her with passion and purpose.

Loki began to crave her release as she writhed under him … he pressed his body to hers and angled his hips, so that he stimulated her in just the right way, pushing deep inside, moving in a fluid rhythm … now less animalistic, the demons having been exorcised. His intense need to fuck her, take her, make her his and only his … it had been quenched, momentarily.

Now there was only her and how she made him feel. Alive. Free. Wanted.

Darcy stretched her arms over her head to brace herself against the headboard … she arched her neck and Loki took it as an offering, nuzzling her pulse point, kissing … lightly biting … his hand cupped her breast and he laid kisses there too, giving her nipple a playful tug with his teeth before running his palms up her arms to grab her hands and lace his fingers through hers, watching her face as she began to slip over the edge.

"Loki … come with me. I want to feel it."

He didn't really have much of a choice. There was no way he was lasting much longer anyway.

His expert pressing against where she needed him most, didn't just send her falling over the edge, it sent her fucking flying off the damn thing. The orgasm was so intense that every single thought and feeling she had exited her mind, and she was just pure sensation for several long seconds, crying out as wave after wave flowed over and through her.

Loki heard her sweet voice as she came, and felt her spasm tightly around his cock ... and he was gone. After a few powerful thrusts he spilled himself inside … in a warm rush, and a cry of surprise at the all-consuming climax of it. He fiercely shuddered on top of her, and his usual smooth voice was a strangled growl … gravelly, guttural. Unmistakably male. But then he began to tremble and lowered himself into her arms with a sigh, a soft whimper.

Darcy felt her whole body hum, her skin tingling like every single inch of her had been asleep before making love to Loki, and now all the blood was allowed to rush through her veins, waking up her cells, breathing life into her.

She wrapped her arms and legs around him in an embrace and he buried his head in her neck, loving the simple act of being held … it had been so long since he'd just been held, cradled to a woman's breast … cherished by someone. She traced circles on his back, reverently soothing him … it perhaps brought a wetness to his eyes, the feeling of being cared for in such a way, perhaps maybe even loved.

This had meant something.

…

Sometime later into the night, when she had rolled onto her side and he'd curled around her back, spooning her, she awoke to his arm around her, his hand caressing her belly. She instinctively arched her back, feeling him hard and ready against her. His hand traveled down and he entered her from behind, the deep angle stimulating just the right spot … his fingers rubbing just the right spot.

Normally she didn't take too kindly to being woken up in the middle of the night, but she didn't mind this so much … and it didn't take long before she went back to sleep, after screaming his name.

…

Sometime even later … before the blue-grey light of dawn seeped through the windows … she woke up to his lips lightly kissing her breasts. This time he made love to her slowly, gently … tenderly … under the covers, like they had all the time in the world. To Darcy, the God of Mischief, fallen prince, destroyer of cities, and dude she was falling for, was being a big tender softie, looking down at her like she was all that he wanted in this world.

"You are so very beautiful," he whispered into her lips.

This meant something.

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

_AN2: I've found that reviews do in fact, fuel me. Seriously, I'm less of a dirty dirty procrastinator because I feel like I have to deliver the goods ;-) So if you have time, write me a few lines ... as I'm learning a lot about writing fiction (I'm used to the non-fiction type). Thanks for reading!_

_Also, the NIN songs mentioned in the chapter are "The Wretched" and "March of the Pigs" ... both songs that I thought would appeal to Loki. Look em up if you haven't heard them. Great great songs._

_p.s. The Mark Ruffalo bit is a true story ;-)_


	20. Chapter 20

_AN: I blame my "Sade" Pandora station for this chapter ... a small interlude after the beast that was the last chapter.  
_

XXX

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* * *

Darcy woke up thirsty, and perhaps a little bit sore ... the culprit of said soreness laying right next to her, completely passed out and sprawled on his back, hand on his chest, the other outstretched, reaching for her in his sleep.

_The morning after._

He looked uncharacteristically peaceful, his hair tousled, almost boyish … to her, he was devastatingly gorgeous, like a damn sex goth Mary Poppins, he was positively perfect in every way.

She wasn't so sure that she looked quite as perfect as he did … she was human after all, and the light shining in was unrelentlessly bright, showing what she felt was every flaw. Every tiny wrinkle and not so tiny wobbly bit.

She slipped from beneath the covers, picking up a light blanket that had been knocked on the floor at some point during the night … they'd really made a mess of the bed, the sheets and blankets not lying correctly anymore, but haphazardly around Loki's form. She smiled at the thought, while wrapping the soft fabric around her. Bless Scott's family, their hotels were always so luxurious, never using those scratchy and cheap linens.

Darcy stepped into the bathroom for her morning ritual, and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was wild, the back a matted mess. Sex hair. You could always tell the sex was good when you couldn't run a brush through your hair the next morning. She got her wide-tooth comb out of her bag that held her make-up and travel supplies, and tried to work out the worst of the tangles.

Her lips were swollen and there were eyeliner smudges under her eyes, but her skin looked flushed and alive. What was it about sex that made your skin look so good, she wondered … well, except for the couple of love-marks on her breasts, which she didn't mind at all. He really seemed to like those.

As she moved around, she felt the familiar heightened sensitivity in her body that came with being … well, thoroughly explored. Hooking up with a one-night stand or a drunken bad-decision always had the potential to make that feeling a little weird, maybe kind of wrong … but with someone you cared about, someone you really liked, it was wonderful … dreamy, really.

Darcy touched her fingers to her lips … they were red from all the kisses and bites. Flashes from the previous night ran through her head. His arm, shoulder, and chest muscles working above her … the way he kissed the back of her neck sweetly and softly as he spooned her, the rest of him not being sweet at all, but positively sinful. The promise he made into her ear … in between his deep male gasps, to make her lose all control.

The way his normally perfectly-placed hair fell in front of his eyes, as he'd pried himself away after their first encounter. She could tell he didn't want to move, but after awhile, with his weight on top of her, she couldn't breathe. After that, even in sleep, he'd made sure they were wrapped around each other somehow … he would not relinquish her, as if he was afraid she'd disappear into thin air.

Darcy wondered how long it had been for him.

It had been a little while for her. Everyone had assumed that she and Ian had had a sexual relationship, and while they weren't exactly chaste, sometimes sleeping in the same bed, she never did the ultimate deed with him. She shook her head at the memory … God bless Ian, but one of the reasons they didn't work out was because they just were not compatible in that respect. He could never get her there, and she had grown tired of the frustration. She never told Jane when she'd asked over and over why Darcy didn't try harder with Ian, but sometimes you simply didn't mesh with someone. She hoped that Ian would make some lucky girl very very happy one day … someone with a lot more patience, love, and understanding than her … someone who would teach him where a clitoris was.

These were things that she obviously didn't need to teach Loki.

Darcy remembered a conversation from days and days ago with Thor … "_Loki would be a polished and attentive lover_," he'd said.

_Dude wasn't lyin'._

This made Darcy's mind wander … did he fucking take classes or something? Did Asgardian royalty have to attend sex tutoring? Was there a palace harem? Courtesans that taught young princes the ways of womanhood?

She giggled at the thought. Whatever Loki's story was, she didn't mind. Darcy had never been the jealous type … and besides, she was no saint in that sense, having gone through a perfectly respectable slutty period of her own. College had been fun.

Darcy quietly exited the bathroom and tip-toed to the antique cabinet that housed the mini-fridge. Every modern appliance that came with the room was hidden somehow, tucked away in order to preserve the antebellum feel of the place. If it wasn't for the fact that they'd had to run away in the night, due to an evil organization bent on world domination, this could have been seriously romantic. Hell, even in spite of it, it _was_ seriously romantic.

She rolled her eyes at herself … _romantic. Pshhh._

She opened the fridge and took out a coke … after a day of drinking daiquiris, and a night of sex, she was parched. It was the best coke she'd ever had in her life ... sweet, bubbly, and refreshing … sex coke. She smiled, giddy.

"What are you doing?"

Loki was sitting up in bed with the sheets pooled around his hips. His pale skin flawless, his bright eyes staring at her.

She looked over, startled ... her breath quickening as it dawned on her that she'd just slept with this beautiful male specimen. "I'm thirsty … want some?"

He'd watched her from across the room, as she stepped softly to the other side to procure herself a drink … she looked absolutely delectable ... her hair a bit mussed, her skin glowing. He wanted to walk over and take her where she stood.

But he wondered why she'd wrapped herself in a blanket. Was she having second thoughts? Was she remorseful?

He'd looked forward to the hopefully-easy elevation in their relationship, where he could watch her walk around naked and completely natural. Comfortable. The casual intimacy of lovers. The side of her that only he got to witness … it was to be a triumph, a victory. Proof that she was his. He didn't like to see her covered up after a night of such … study and discovery.

"Why are you wrapped up in that offensive blanket?"

Darcy arched an eyebrow but then smiled shyly. She shrugged, figuring the truth was best. "It's bright in here … I'm covering up my wobbly bits."

Loki, relieved that she didn't seem to be covering up because she had regrets, flashed a sly crooked grin. "Don't be ridiculous … those are my favorite parts."

Darcy smiled, looking at his messy hair … seeing that the aristocratic air he put on to the outside world, was gone ... and the guy sitting up in bed was just a guy … authentic, unpretentious Loki, vulnerable and eager to be close to her.

He held out his hand, like a prince asking for a dance … as if to say, "my lady." It was unbelievably hot coming from a guy who looked the way he did, sitting in a disheveled bed with the sheets barely covering his lower-half.

"Come over here," he said.

_Alright_, she thought.

Slowly, she let the blanket drop to the floor, standing there nude, flushed, and exposed … still holding her coke. She wore a confident grin on her face, even though she still felt self-conscious about walking around naked in the morning sun.

Darcy slinked over to the bed, swaying her hips slightly … the look on his face telling her that it was a sweet torture, how slow she was walking. When she finally reached him, instead of herself, she put the coke into his still-outstretched hand, teasing him.

The look he gave her said, "really?"

Darcy laughed. "Try it. It's the best coke I've ever had."

He took a drink and she watched as he swallowed, his adam's apple flexing. Got-_damn_, she just wanted to spend the day licking him.

Loki smacked his lips and set the bottle on the nightstand. "Enchanting," he said with not a small amount of sarcasm. Darcy noticed that he was being strangely playful. _Weird_.

He held his hand out again with a seductive smirk. "Now. Come here."

She took his hand, and he brought her fingers to his lips for a gentlemanly and formal kiss, something that was kind of funny given that they were both naked. Wanton-looking. He then suddenly moved with cat-like reflexes, grabbing her arm with one hand and lifting her from the waist with his other. He pulled her over the bed and she landed on top of him with a small shriek of surprise. His strength was going to take a little getting used to.

It wasn't long before his hands were running down her back, her sides, her ass, in maddening circles. "See, this bit right here ..." he massaged the flesh of her hips … "the way it curves, and fits perfectly into my hands ... so that I can do this …" He then gripped and pressed down, as he pushed his hips up, revealing that he was hard as a rock.

She looked down at him, unbelievably turned on, her hair falling around her face and tumbling over her shoulders. He brought his hand up to her neck, brushing a lock behind her ear and drew her in for a good-morning kiss. As their tongues explored, she reached down to adjust the sheet, brushing aside the offending thin barrier between them, so that she could properly straddle him and rub up against the length of him.

He broke their kiss, looking up with those blue-green eyes under long lashes, heavy-lidded. "I want to watch you move above me … with the daylight on your skin." His hands moved over her breasts, palms rubbing her nipples.

"Such things you say …"

She lifted her hips and guided him inside, sinking all the way down, enveloping him, and they both gasped.

The soreness was there, but it wasn't a deterrent for her … it was a sweet soreness, though she stilled as she needed a second to adjust. He wasn't kidding about her curves though, as he held on to her hips, fingers clutching soft flesh, and began to guide her, silently pleading with her to start moving. There was a look of pain on his face, saying he needed that rhythm, like breathing … exhale, inhale … ebb, flow … expand, contract … up, down … above, below.

There was a tightness in her throat as she witnessed the longing in his eyes. Before, she would have shut hers and retreated into herself, focusing on physical sensation and bringing about climax … but now, today, in the light, she wanted him … all of him.

She let the tightness in her throat go, letting the surge of energy travel down and they both moaned as she began to ride him, slowly and deliberately, every touch, every sound, heightened.

Darcy bent down to kiss him and Loki brought his hands up to her face, kissing her back with passion … and she picked up her rhythm, straightening, bracing herself with her hands on his chest.

She moved on top of him and he watched … every inch of her, his eyes roaming over every bit, memorizing every freckle, every dimple, every soft swell and curve.

She moved as the sun's rays came through the window, painting light on her body, and his hands traveled from her hips to her breasts, squeezing and pinching. He really seemed to like those. This led to a sultry moan and she angled her hips just right, spreading her knees more, a frenzy coming over her, working above him ... moving fluidly like waves crashing on the seashore. She began to climb, ascend, rise to the very top of her body's reach ... and tip over … falling in weightless pleasure.

They watched each other as the energy they had raised found its climax and then came together effortlessly, their faces twisted in exquisite pleasure … cries of release slipping from their throats.

Darcy stilled and closed her eyes, luxuriating in her body and mind's total relaxation, it's lingering subtle waves of bliss.

_Morning sex was the best. Morning sex with the God of Mischief was ... fucking awesome-sauce. _

She looked down and found him smiling at her, a sincere boyish grin ... which she thought was kind of a strange Loki reaction. She didn't know what to expect from him, but she sure as hell never expected him to be quite so tender … so real, with his defenses and walls down. She figured he'd be all male pride and arrogance, with "cat that got the cream" grins. But he was ... sweet.

He reached up and pulled her down to lay on top of him and wrapped his arms tight around her. She felt as if she could let down her defenses and walls too … but she'd grown so fond of them, so attached.

She rested her head on his chest and breathed in … his scent reminded her of the smell of cold, when you get a blast of icy clean air as you leave your warm stuffy house in the winter. It was a distinctive brightness. He also smelled as if he'd spent a hundred summers in the wilderness, soaking up the wind, the sun, the trees. It was unbelievably heady. Dude never needed to wear cologne, that was for sure.

Darcy took a deep breath and realized what she was doing. She was being all lovey-dovey about how he smelled, his boyish grin, how his big hands felt on her hips … his tousled bed-head, and even the way he drank a damn soda.

_Fuuuuuuuuuck._

_Shit._

_Hot damn …_

_Dude._

_Was this, like … love?_

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* * *

_AN: Please, schmaltz-police, don't come after me! It was all the Cat Power I was listening to, I swear!_


	21. Chapter 21

_AN:1 Yo, I know this chapter was a bit later than usual, but writing has been sloooow. Even the writing I do for work ... I'm not sure why, but I spent a lot of time just staring blankly at my computer screen and getting distracted by Funny Or Die videos and True Blood marathons. I don't know, this was a hard one to write for me. I was so excited about it and then ... it was. so. hard._

_Anyway. I'm finally cool with it. As always, thanks so much for reading, and to my reviewers, y'all are amazing. You keep me going._

XXX

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* * *

After a quick shower, Darcy hurried to get ready in the bathroom while she left Loki outside to pick up the place. She'd suggested that he make the sheets look like they hadn't been the latest surface for Wrestlemania. He'd looked at her like she was crazy, as he wasn't the type to do things like make beds, having had servants for the first several hundred years of his life, but she wasn't about to leave things in such a state for the maids to see.

As she reached into her make-up bag for her eyeliner, she noticed her pack of daily pills that prevented any unwanted surprises or sudden life-altering situations, also known as babies. She felt a moment of panic when realization dawned on her that she'd just had sex with an alien. Like, from another _planet_.

A certain scene from _Prometheus_ flashed in her head, and she all of a sudden became nauseated at the thought of cutting an alien-baby out of her own stomach. She really hoped it wouldn't come to that. In the movies, sex with aliens always ended badly … very very badly.

She nervously walked out of the bathroom and found Loki straightening up the bed. "Um … this is probably a _really_ bad time to ask … but, these are still going to work, right? I mean … I'm not going to have a scary alien-baby clawing its way out of my stomach, am I?" She pointed to the pack of pills she was holding up.

He looked up from tucking a corner under the mattress. "That was certainly graphic."

"Haven't you ever seen _Alien_? Wait … sorry, of course you haven't seen _Alien_."

Loki sighed. "Are those pills formulated for your body? Your physiology?"

"Yes?"

"What I mean is … they prevent _your_ body from conceiving … they're not supposed to work by killing my seed?"

_Ha_, she said to herself. _He said "seed"_. She tried to hide a smirk. "Ah. Correct."

"Then there shouldn't be a problem. Your body will not all of a sudden work differently simply by being with an Asgardian." He hesitated slightly at the word "Asgardian", but he'd been saying it all his life. He wasn't sure he could ever bring himself to say "Jotun" … and if he was being honest, wasn't sure what he was or what he was supposed to call himself. "Monster" usually came to mind. Even Darcy thought that a child conceived of their union would result in a monster.

She saw that he suddenly looked hurt and realized what she'd done. "Loki," she said softly. "I didn't mean it like that … I was being dramatic." She walked over and sat on the bed, pulling him by the arm to sit beside her.

"I say the same kind of things about human babies. I actually call them "spawn" most of the time. Babies are scary. They scare me more than zombies, and I'm deathly afraid of zombies."

This confused him. "Why do babies scare you?"

"Because all of my friends who have babies have turned into zombies. Whatever. I'm just not ready for all that yet … and I don't think I'm a very maternal person … not sure I'd make a good mom." She looked down … Darcy was afraid that she'd end up being cold to her children, like her mother was.

"I don't believe that," Loki said as he touched his forehead to hers. She shrugged slightly.

"How do you do the whole birth-control thing on Asgard?" Darcy wanted to change the subject.

He let her. "There are a few ways. One is a draft that most people know how to make in their sleep by the time they reach a certain age. I always used magic, it was … quicker." He gave a bitter laugh. "Not that it matters now."

She thought to ask a few other questions that one should probably know before sleeping with someone. "So … do you have any kids or ex-wives? Child support? Baby-mama drama? Crazy ex-girlfriends? … ex-horses?"

Loki chuckled. "Please. Do not believe any of the myths surrounding my name on Midgard. I have no idea how some of those stories came about. It seemed as if they started out so innocently, and then after a few generations, the stories were completely out of hand."

"So … no kids?"

Loki shook his head. "No. I had a few pets over the years, and as for Sleipnir, I only trained him … he was born with a deformity and was going to be put down, but I insisted that he should live and not be destroyed because he was different … and he ended up being Odin's prized steed." He smiled at the memory of all the hours and days spent in the royal stables and out riding. He missed riding … he hadn't done it in years now.

Darcy thought about the S.H.I.E.L.D. file on Loki, and the myth vs. reality columns … but then there was another one that was just speculation, or unknown … like potential wives.

"Who is Sigyn?"

Loki smiled slightly, more memories. "She was a girl, long ago … when I was still very much a boy. Siggy. She was a friend."

_Fuck_, Darcy thought. _She's real. _

"Odin was teaching me a lesson for tricking humans … for using magic to, well … scare them. The villages we watched over then consisted of people who were perfect for testing out spells on. Body-doubles, triples, that sort of thing. A little transmutation here, a levitation spell there. I suppose it did cause quite a bit of a stir among them. The mortals accused each other of the black arts … it led to executions." Loki shook his head. "Humans will always try to destroy that which they do not understand."

Darcy shook her head in disbelief, the Vikings seemed like a brutal bunch, but damn. "Wow Loki, most childhood pranks only result in like, the family poodle turning purple … not public killings."

He shrugged. "It led to my very first banishment. For a week. Odin bound me to a tree that overlooked the village, but I was invisible to the people. I was only supposed to watch them, learn that they were weaker than us and should be taken care of, not played around with … but one girl could see me. Sigyn. She must have had the Sight."

"Dude. A human with powers? You must have been absolutely shocked," Darcy said sarcastically.

"Asgardians would lie with humans quite often back then … she was probably a product of one such encounter."

Darcy rolled her eyes. He could never give humans any credit … what he couldn't get through his thick skull was that many humans, whether they knew it or not, had access to magic. It just needed to be cultivated and honed.

Loki went on with his story, ignoring her eye-roll. "Siggy saw that I couldn't move and sympathized … so she started bringing water. She would keep me company. The villagers would see her holding up a bowl of water to the tree and they formed tales. The tales grew into myth, and over the years she somehow became my wife … though in reality, the girl was later married to an earl. We were never together like that. At the time … actually at _no_ time, until now that is, have I had a relationship with a Midgardian.

She looked at him sideways. _Whoa. He just said "relationship." _

"No, I have no ex-wives or children. On Asgard, with how we perceive time, Thor and I are still considered young. I believe they were only just starting to urge my brother to take a wife … I had been mercifully left alone about the subject, except to tell me who I was _not_ allowed to marry."

"Who were you not allowed to marry?"

"The lower-born. Any woman, in any realm, who wasn't nobility."

"Ugh. Classist bastards."

Loki smiled at her modern progressive sensibilities, he found it endearing and strangely refreshing. He decided to turn her questions around on her. "And you? No children? Ex-husbands? I've met an ex-lover … are there many others walking around your city?"

Darcy laughed and thought about the guy she lost her virginity to … he was still a bartender in the Quarter. And Mr. Bad Boy Rehab. He had apparently sobered up and now worked on the river with boats or something. "Maybe a couple, but no one you need to worry about … and definitely no kids."

"Do you want children?" Loki wondered why she said the word "kids" with such distaste.

"Ummm … maybe? Probably? At the moment, I still value sleep too much to have kids, I think. I honestly haven't given it a ton of thought … in my mind, it's something that I've always filed away in a folder entitled 'later'."

"That's most unusual."

Darcy's forehead wrinkled in question. "How is that unusual?"

"In my experience, children are usually something that a woman thinks about very much."

"Well … a lot has changed on Midgard in that respect, especially in the last fifty years. Women want their own lives and careers now. We're not just the caretakers of men and babies."

Loki raised his brows. "So I've noticed. I welcome this evolution. It makes for much more stimulating conversation to court a woman of intelligence and independence. Yes ... _very_ stimulating, I've found." He reached for Darcy and drew her in for an embrace, nuzzling behind her ear.

She smiled slowly at his old-fashioned words. "Is that what we're doing? Courting? Shall I introduce you as my beau? As we drink mint juleps under a magnolia tree?"

"Mmmmm … you can call it what you like, but you are mine," he whispered into her ear.

"Say whaaaa?" she said playfully … she didn't normally like the idea of being thought of as someone's property, but the way he said it was pretty damn hot.

"You are claimed."

Darcy closed her eyes as he trailed kisses down her neck. "This better be some kind of Asgardian way of saying we're dating, because I'm not a possession."

"As I said … you can call it what you want." He then silenced any remark she could have said with a kiss, building up heat while his hands crept up her shirt.

She knew where this was headed, but they were supposed to be in the lobby downstairs meeting Jules.

Darcy broke the kiss with a smirk. "Oh my god, you're relentless! I already had to practically kick you out of the shower and lock the door. As of now, we're ten minutes late … keep that up and we're going to be hours late." Normally she would have said "fuck it" and enjoyed a steamy round of shower sex, but if there was one person you were not late to a meeting for, it was Miss Ramona.

"Oh, but that's my intention … let's not leave this room all day. Or rather, all week." He went back to giving her neck soft kisses.

"Do you want to find a way to get your powers back?"

Loki sighed and sat up straight. She said the magic words. "Very well. But we're coming back to this room immediately following this meeting, correct?" His eyes looked hopeful and hungry.

Darcy laughed softly. "Of course." She stood and pulled him up off the bed, ushering them out of the room so that there were no more chances to get distracted.

As they walked down the hall, she decided to offer a word of advice. "You should prepare yourself. Every time that Miss Ramona has given me a reading, my mind has been blown."

"I am sure I'll be fine."

"Don't underestimate her, Loki. You could very well be a puddle on her floor when she's through with you."

"Hn," he huffed. "I've never been reduced to such emotions in front of strangers."

Darcy shook her head as she pressed the elevator button to go down.

Loki was in for it.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

After meeting Jules in the lobby, the three set off for her grandmother's, walking the few blocks it took to get to their destination. The two girls held hands as they took a stroll down the street. One of the great things about the city was that you could go car-less very easily, as so much was within walking or biking-distance.

Loki followed closely behind and wondered if the girls were communicating with each other, as it seemed like they were trying to keep their faces neutral, but every once in awhile, a crooked smile would emerge from their lips. He couldn't concentrate on it very long, however, as there were many distractions for someone who had never been to New Orleans. There were the eccentric street musicians and performers painted silver and gold … shops full of whimsical artwork and antiques … elaborate signs for strong drinks and local spicy food, which was quite exotic to an Asgardian. The cuisine on his home realm was never overly spicy. It seemed as if Midgardians would seek to eat something simply for the fact that it had the capacity to burn one's tastebuds off.

Darcy looked back to see Loki occupied by a band playing jazz music on a street corner. It was a familiar sight for her … boys in suspenders and fedoras, a guitar player, trumpet player, and an upright bass player, as if they stepped out of a time-machine from decades back. It was a common aesthetic for the city.

Jules gave Darcy's hand a squeeze._ "So how was it?"_

Darcy couldn't help but smile. _"Is it written all over my face?"_

_"Y'all are lookin' at each other like one's the cheese to the other's macaroni."_

_"Stop making me laugh! He's gonna know we're talking."_

_"Hooker, you didn't answer my question, quit stallin'."_

_"Okay, okay … it was … there aren't really any words. I mean … I just … _damn_."_

Jules bit her lip. _"I'm tellin' ya … once you go god, you ain't never go back!"_

_"Have you been with anyone else since Eshu?"_

Her friend shook her head with a dreamy look on her face. _"Never had an inclination."_

Darcy flared her eyes._ "I mean, just the stamina alone. The man is insatiable. I don't know if it's the alien-god-thing or if it's because he hasn't gotten any in awhile … because you certainly don't invade a planet due to daddy issues if you're getting laid regularly. Dude definitely hasn't gotten all up in there in a good while."_

Jules nodded slightly. _"Obviously. Look at him … walkin' around so relaxed he looks stoned. Musta been seriously backed up."_

Darcy pursed her lips to try and stop from laughing.

Jules continued. _"And he got a look about him … like he all aristocratic n' shit out in public, but behind closed doors, he looks like he gets downright nasty."_

A big grin stretched across Darcy's face, she couldn't help it. _"Bitch. You're not wrong! Like, he'll go from being some otherworldly sex-gentlemen … he'll be all like, 'my lady … won't you come hither and ride my cock?' … and then he like, loses his shit and gets all Viking or something … seriously wild. It's unbelievably hot. Like H-A-W-T."_

Her friend smiled and squeezed her hand._ "Yep. God-sex. I'm glad you're happy, girl … you deserve it. I hope we can figure all this out."_

Darcy squeezed back. _"It's just so good to be back. I've missed you … and you look happy too. That makes me happy."_

_"Bitch, don't make me cry! Then he'll really know we talkin' bout somethin'."_

"Alright, alright. We're here." Darcy said out loud.

Miss Ramona's small temple was located in the back of one of the family restaurants, hidden away on Dauphine Street in a converted 200-year-old creole townhouse. Darcy and Jules led Loki through a bustling dining room, the sounds of knives and forks on plates, brunch conversation silencing as they walked further back, through a small kitchen, the staff greeting the two girls as a door opened into a brick courtyard.

Loki noted that the place was very maze-like, labyrinthine … like back on Asgard. There were always secret gardens round the corner, like the New Orleans courtyards. Just when you didn't think a building could be anymore beautiful, you find a door, and you're led out to an oasis with lush plant-life and seating for lounging, relaxing … reading, looking at the stars.

"I'll wait out here for you. Scott is meeting me … you two go inside. She's expecting you." Jules sat down on what looked to be the most comfortable patio furniture ever made, with luxurious cushions made of silks and satins in vibrant colors.

Across the courtyard was an open door with a black and gold curtain blowing in the slight breeze, beckoning them to come in. Darcy stepped through first, seeing the familiar set-up. In the middle of the room was a small and cozy table and chairs where Miss Ramona did readings, and in the four corners were various altars, with not a single inch of free space … tokens and knick-knacks everywhere. Statues, dolls, offerings, flowers, and candles … so many candles.

Miss Ramona was already sitting at her table waiting for them, and as she stood, Darcy ran to embrace her. Loki was instantly taken aback by the woman. She was gorgeous, her skin not looking a day past 40, and yet she was a grandmother to Jules, a grown woman. She wore a long, yet light golden skirt, and a black t-shirt with a dark-yellow fleur-de-lis. On her arms were beautifully crafted gold bracelets, and in her ears were big gold hoops. The only thing that could have possibly led one to believe she was a grandmother, was the gray in her waist-length braids, only slightly more prevalent than Nella's.

As the woman hugged Loki's new lover, she looked straight at him over Darcy's shoulder, with eyes that reminded him of Heimdall's. Eyes that saw everything … yet there was a gentleness in this woman's face that wasn't present in the guardian's aloof stare … no, this woman was deeply kind, though you didn't want to mess with her. Loki figured that if provoked, Miss Ramona would strike like a viper.

She held Darcy back to look at her. "Look at this woman before me," she said with a voice smooth as sweet cream. "So beautiful … and you've grown confident. Coming into your own."

Darcy beamed and hugged her again, clearly much more comfortable with this woman than she was with her own mother. "I've missed you so much. All you have to do is say three words and I feel better about anything."

"I just tell it how I see it, baby girl." She looked over to Loki … "and who is this tall, dark, and handsome man?"

Darcy stood back and smiled at her … Ramona knew full well who Mr. Tall-Dark-Handsome was, she just didn't want Loki to know the lengths of the discussions that Darcy and Jules had been having about him. She didn't want him to be uncomfortable.

"This is Loki of Asgard, Miss Ramona. Aesir, son of Odin." Loki stiffened at the mention of Odin's name, but he appreciated the formal introduction.

"Loki, this is Ramona Jupiter, voodoo priestess and queen."

The priestess stepped over to Loki, took his hands and looked into his eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Loki."

Loki couldn't help but to smile at the warm greeting. It was so unlike the formalities and detached pleasantries from back home. "And you as well."

Miss Ramona gave him a small hug and then stepped back, taking him in like she'd done with Darcy. Loki was beginning to get used to all the hugs and kisses of southern greetings, but it was still strange for him to be touched in such a way … as if he were in a city full of people who were all friends, and strangers were just friends they hadn't met yet.

"Son of Odin." She arched a cynical eyebrow at the word "Odin" as if she knew him and shook her head. "Son of _Frigga_, more like."

Loki inclined his head, shocked that she knew these names. "Pardon me?"

Ramona didn't speak for a few seconds as if she was listening to something off into the distance. "Please, let's sit … and we'll see what we can do for you." She motioned to the table and chairs.

As soon as they sat down, Miss Ramona reached across the table and put Darcy's hand in Loki's, holding them both. "Darcy, I want you to feel something."

Darcy began to shake her head, knowing what she was about to do, fear prickling at her neck ... but Ramona spoke up, "I'll help you. Now, close your eyes."

Darcy took a few deep breaths and did as she was told, as you just didn't refuse the priestess—ever—but she was extremely uncomfortable. Searching Loki's aura and spirit seemed way too intimate for her at the moment. Things were going too fast. "I don't know if I can do this."

"I'll be here to guide you through it, honey, now open your mind … let the light in."

Darcy nodded and visualized the doors in her mind opening, blue and white light expanding from around her throat, and almost instantly she was bombarded with what sounded like a stadium of chattering people … it always overwhelmed her. She felt the horrible sensation of vertigo that always came with channeling.

"Now focus, focus on Loki … focus on who is close to him."

Darcy fought through the headache forming, from the sound of the crowd, and thought only of Loki. In order to ground herself, she thought of his blue-green eyes and his large hands around hers … and all the voices suddenly started to quiet and fade away. It was like unfocusing your eyes for one of those 3D eye-puzzles, so that you could see the hidden images … but instead she unfocused and refocused her mind and energy, to peer into the non-physical.

"Okay. I'm there."

"Do you see?"

Loki was wondering what it was that Miss Ramona was giving Darcy access to, and was suddenly a little uncomfortable. He wasn't sure how powerful this woman was, being a Midgardian … and he also didn't think that Darcy could manage communication with souls who had traveled beyond the nine realms, but just in case … there were plenty of things that he'd rather she not know. Such as the details of his Jotun form. He didn't want her to run from him.

Darcy suddenly opened her eyes and smiled. "I do! I see!"

Miss Ramona grinned knowingly. "Tell him what you saw."

"I'm not sure if I can explain it right."

"Don't doubt yourself, baby girl. What did you see?"

She looked at Loki, uncomfortable with talking about such personal things with him. They had talked about deep stuff before, but this was a whole new level of deep for them.

"Frigga." Darcy said. "You are her son."

"What?" he whispered. A moment of pain and confusion flashed across his face before he squashed it down behind a mask. He would not show such emotions in front of someone he just met, friend to Darcy or no. "I do not understand."

Darcy looked down, unsure of how to proceed. "How can I explain … I'm not saying that she's your birth-mother … but your magic … it's actually _her_ magic. Frigga's magic. She gave it to you when you were little, so you have a part of her inside you, connecting you. It's like magical DNA. It's as much a part of you as your other genetic make-up … magic of the heart. Frigga's magic was heart magic too … green. And it looks like over the years, her magic … _your_ magic, made you kind of evolve, or adapt to your surroundings. You are both Jotun and Asgardian." Darcy looked up and to the right, like she was noticing something. "And shit … Vanir? Frigga was from Vanaheim. You have equal parts Jotun, Asgardian, and Vanir in there."

Darcy began to see why certain things were kept from him … if he were to hone all of his abilities, including the ones unknown to him and lying dormant, he'd be extremely powerful. Even more powerful than he was at the height of his madness when he possessed the tesseract. It would be the type of power that even Odin might fear … the type of power that might need to stay out of the hands of someone entitled "The God of Mischief and Lies." _Shit_.

Darcy looked off into the distance like Miss Ramona had, obviously focused on something that others could not see. She decided not to go into the particular details she'd just discovered, but gave him the message that was to be related to him.

"She is your mother. She gave you her magic ... even though she could only share it once without becoming permanently weakened. And even after sharing it with you, it was a few years until she was at full strength again. But she didn't care. She gave it to_ you_. She ... loved you."

Darcy looked Loki in the eye, tears glistening but not falling over. "She says to tell you that she forgave you, as soon as you said it."

With these revelations, Loki could not keep up the mask, and had begun to breath heavily. He was so overwhelmed that he sat expressionless, unblinking… for if he moved a hair of an inch, he would be reduced to weeping, like a child.

He remembered the last thing he said to Frigga.

_Am I not your mother?_

_You're not._

He managed to whisper softly, "you can communicate with my mother?"

Darcy let go of Loki's and Miss Ramona's hands, suddenly feeling very awkward. "Only with focus. And with help." She looked down. "I usually can't get past all the voices and it gives me a migraine."

Loki leaned in towards her, a tear finally escaping down his cheek. "Was that all she said?"

Miss Ramona spoke up, trying to bring the focus off of Darcy, who had come so far, but was now obviously uncomfortable. She didn't want to push her boundaries only for her to retreat. "Loki, your mother protects you."

He looked over to the priestess. "She ... protects me?"

She gave him a warm smile. "Even past the crossroads, she is still very powerful. She was a magnificent priestess, or however you describe one such as herself in your world. She was, and is still, quite extraordinary … she shielded you from death, through your connected magic."

Miss Ramona took one of his hands, he needed to be told. "She shielded you from Death. It is why the one who seeks you cannot find you."

Loki was almost relieved that he had something else to focus on, even though it sounded like seriously bad news. At least he could perhaps stop the tears. "Someone is seeking me?"

"The one who courts Death. Mistress Death. She could not find you when all others believed you to be dead, when you yourself believed you were dying. Your mother's protection through your interconnected magic, hides you from Death. And he cannot call to you personally, as your magic is hidden away. He cannot find you on his own."

Loki nodded slowly and closed his eyes. "He?"

"You know who he is."

"Thanos," he said softly.

Miss Ramona leaned back in her chair. "Loki. He calls to those who turn to darkness, to the dark energies of the universe … to search for you. If one of these people who have succumbed to his call finds you, he will know."

Loki all of a sudden found his voice again, tinged with anger. "Why does he wait until now? I was rotting in a prison cell on Asgard … I half expected it to be him that stormed the palace that day, not the Dark Elves."

Miss Ramona looked up and to the right, like Darcy had … listening or focusing on something not in the physical world. "He had been gathering strength while letting you begin to believe you might be off the hook. An invasion of Asgard would have been costly, but he planned on it, as he searched for a stone that would have made the job much easier. He rejoiced in the fact that someone beat him to it, that someone had so successfully invaded, as Asgard wasn't used to suffering such losses. He briefly thought you already dead, but soon realized you were not … then found that he had no idea where you were. His plans, in the end, were thwarted."

Loki was floored that he was being schooled in the workings of Thanos by a human, a mortal. "How do you know of this? How do you know of his call?"

Ramona held his eyes. "In voodoo, we honor both the light and the dark … we respect the dark, we acknowledge it, we revel in its pleasures at times ... but we do not overindulge, and we do not succumb to its evils. Most of us can hear him, but we do not respond. I cannot go into much more detail than that without answering the call, but I can tell you that it grows weaker."

"He grows weak?"

"Yes. He searches for you throughout the universe … he's using up much of his life-force in doing it. He can't sustain it for forever, without the energy-sources he covets. He'll have to rest soon."

Darcy, who had been totally silent throughout this revelatory exchange, thought of something. "So not having your magic has kind of saved you, Loki! Are you sure you want it back? I mean … right now?"

He dismissed her idea with a wave. "I can do a simple masking spell … if I can mask myself from Heimdall, I can mask myself from Thanos."

Miss Ramona had news for him. "Yes, but a masking spell from Thanos would wear you down … much like his spell wears him down."

"Dude must really want to find you, Loki." Darcy said. "Seriously, why is he so obsessed with you?"

"I failed," he said softly. "Failure was not an option." The Other had warned him … there would be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he could hide. The one solace he had, was that he was no longer connected to him through the gem in the scepter. The creature could no longer invade his mind. It had ended up being a blessing that he'd lost it.

Loki's usual perfect posture had slacked. He looked as if he had the weight of the world … the universe, on his shoulders.

It broke Darcy's heart that he looked so sad, when he had been so happy when they left the hotel. "Can you help him figure out how to get his powers back?"

The priestess nodded. "Let's have a look-see."

Miss Ramona took both of Loki's hands into hers, closed her eyes, and began to chant under her breath.

Loki tried to relax and let her do her work, but he looked down, and all of a sudden his hands were blue, raised lines, the sigils on his arms … his Jotun skin.

He stood up so fast that the chair he was sitting in was kicked backwards and onto its side. "UNHAND ME!" he bellowed.

Darcy watched as Loki's skin gradually went from being a dark greyish blue, to his normal pale coloring. His features had all looked the same, just … blue. With slightly raised tattoos. Like, some kind of tribal tattoos, but not the cheesy kind that bros got on Earth. These tattoos were actually kinda hot. The red eyes … were different, but not terrible. She'd seen contact lenses that were much freakier.

Loki was huddling in the corner, breathing heavily in anger, his hands balled into fists.

Miss Ramona slowly stood. "Child," she said, softly.

"I AM NOT A CHILD! How _dare_ you call me such," he seethed. "I've lived for centuries, while mortals are born and then die in a heartbeat!"

The priestess tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes, her deep brown irises growing brighter, glowing gold. "I'm a lot older than you think, _boy_. Do not come to this Earth and presume to know everything about us by only giving us passing glances through arrogant eyes. _Real_ power here does not flaunt itself, it doesn't need to .. and it does not _care_ if you think it beneath you. It simply is what it is. The Earth's magic flows deep for those who are open to it. And one of its strengths is that your people, and others throughout the universe, underestimate it. You think us feeble, and yet … we always come out on top. Why is that, do you think?"

_Oh shit_, Darcy thought … _Miss Ramona is giving Loki the business!_ She was caught between wanting to stand up, fist bump, and yell "_oh, snap!_" ... and wanting to run over to embrace him, letting him know that everything was okay.

Loki could feel the priestess' magic, her energy, emanating from around her. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt. It prickled against his skin, like electricity … yet also brushed against him like silk. This woman had considerable power. It was a power that felt like the wilderness, the warmth of the sun, the touch of the wind, and yet it was healing, as it was also compassionate and loving. He looked on in shocked wonder ... _but she was a Midgardian_.

Ramona slowly walked over to him, putting a hand on his cheek to calm him. She met his eyes. "I am sorry … I had to search deep within you to find the spell that masks your magic. I did not mean to anger you."

Loki shut his eyes tight. "I didn't want you to see … I never wanted _her_ … to see …" He couldn't look at Darcy … couldn't bear to see the look of disgust that he knew must be on her face.

Miss Ramona gently took his face into her hands, showing him that she did not find him to be the monster he thought he was. "Loki, you are a foolish boy if you think I care about the color of someone's skin."

"It's the skin of someone who haunts a child's nightmare," he whispered. His nightmares.

"Only if you make it so," she said. "Tell me, was it the Asgardian that terrorized New York? Or was it a Jotun ... what color is the man those children would have nightmares about?"

Loki opened his eyes to her as she spoke, the tension in his muscles relaxing, as if they were being calmed by her magic.

Miss Ramona's eyes had gone back to their normal warm deep brown. "None of us are going to judge you because of what makes you different, because of this color of blue that you can turn. Most of us here are close because we honor and celebrate each other's differences. Some of us have fought hard to overcome the prejudices surrounding the color of our skin, and we still fight. We _still_ fight. It would be a great sin to recoil from you, or judge you because of yours. I do not think you are a monster. Neither does Darcy. Honey, we fly our freak flags high around here."

"She's right," Darcy spoke up. "I don't think you're a monster. Quite the opposite, actually. And I've seen stranger …"

Loki's brow furrowed and he inclined his head. "You've seen stranger. Here. On Midgard." He didn't believe her.

"Loki. I'm from New Orleans … I've been to twenty-plus Mardi Gras, Halloweens, and more voodoo ceremonies than I can count. I've seen people in every color, shape, and form."

"You haven't seen a Frost Giant." He was still visibly shaken up.

Darcy tried to give him a reassuring look. "Babe, the term 'Frost Giant' just doesn't have the same meaning here on Earth that it does on Asgard. Like, we don't care. And we're not the type of people that would care even if we were Asgardian."

She decided to continue with humor, as it tended to calm him down. "Now, if you looked like one of those creatures from the _Alien_ movies or _Independence Day_, then it would be different. But you don't have a weird elongated head and you're not slimy or have tentacles … so we're good."

Loki relaxed slightly, but was still upset. "I never wanted you to see my true form."

Ramona took his hands and gave squeeze. "What you identify with is your true form. If you identify with your Asgardian form, then that is your true self."

She led him back to the table, picked up his chair for him and he sat back down … as though he was in a daze.

As the priestess sat, she said, "I think you'll find that whatever form you choose to take, as long as you are being true to yourself … we won't give a damn if you're white, blue, or pink with rainbow sprinkles on top."

Darcy reached over and grabbed Loki's hand. "It's true."

As she touched his fingers, she could hear the voice that Miss Ramona had helped her to channel … his mother's voice. Her channel was still open, or Frigga had kept it open somehow.

"She wants to show me something."

"My mother?" Loki whispered.

Darcy nodded. "She says it feels good to hear you call her that."

Loki didn't know what to say. He couldn't believe that the woman he'd spent all night and morning in bed with, awakening pleasures that were rarely felt on this realm or any other for that matter … the woman who had most undoubtedly captured his heart, could communicate with his mother. With Frigga. He had wished countless times that Darcy could have met her.

He had silently cursed Thor for the fact that Jane had at least met their mother, that Frigga had at least known who his brother's great Midgardian love was. She had known that Thor was loved genuinely, and not by someone after a crown. Loki wished his mother had seen that someone could love him like that as well.

And yet, here she was … communicating with Frigga. But Loki wasn't sure about this … his mother was tricky in life and she was probably still tricky in death. It's where he'd learned it from. She was gifted with the Sight, and could see possibilities … but she would never reveal the future. Many times, she would only show a truth bits at a time … to teach lessons. It had been infuriating while growing up.

Miss Ramona spoke up, taking hold of Darcy's hand. "If you let her see this message … then Darcy will do the same for you."

Darcy did a double-take. "Wait … what?"

_Oh, hell no. He's not taking a first-class ride through the Harry Potter pensieve that is my mind and memories. My life. I don't care how many orgasms he gave me in a 24-hour period_, Darcy thought.

The priestess heard her due to their hands touching. The corner of her mouth twitched into a slight smile. "It is being requested of you."

"By who?"

"Evelyn."

Darcy narrowed her eyes. "Hn."

"Who is Evelyn?" Loki had never heard the name.

Miss Ramona explained. "She is Darcy's grandmother and was a dear friend to me for many many years. She was also a priestess, and passed beyond the crossroads a few years ago."

Darcy had never mentioned the woman's death, only a story here and a remark there. Loki figured she still lived. "I didn't know she was dead. I am sorry."

"Yep," Darcy said with no feeling. She looked to Miss Ramona. "Is Gran and Loki's mom conspiring together on the other side or something? Because that's what it seems like. Sounds exactly like the kinda thing Gran would do. Loki, is your mom a conspirator?"

He thought for a few seconds. "You could say that." He gave a slight grin, remembering her.

The priestess continued, "it's not a conspiracy, I promise you. They just want to introduce themselves to their dear one's new …."

_"JuJu, don't you dare say 'love'!"_ Darcy squeezed Ramona's fingers.

" … ah, special friend."

Miss Ramona squeezed back._ "That sounded flat-out ridiculous, Darcy. You need to come to terms with love. Love love love love love!"_

"Fine," Darcy said to placate her mentor. She didn't actually think that Loki would ever go along with it. He seemed about as eager to open up his mind as she was.

"I'll do it if he agrees … but if you don't want to Loki, I'm totally cool with that. Like, totally and absolutely cool." Darcy figured that he would decline immediately.

"I'll do it," he said.

_Fucking fuck-nuts!_

"It'll be okay, Darcy … we'll stop if things get too intense, just give me the signal," Miss Ramona said.

Darcy nodded and held out her hands. She put one in Loki's, the other in Ramona's, and looked at her "special friend". "Are you sure you want to do this?"

He nodded. "If this is the only chance you have to meet her, I don't want to let it pass," he said.

She suddenly felt bad. He wanted her to meet his mom. That was valid … though she doubted she'd be taking Loki over to the Garden District to meet her father anytime soon. It would be nice for him to meet her grandmother though … she hadn't thought of it that way.

"Okay," Darcy sighed. "Let's do this."

"I'm going to help you channel, okay baby girl?" Ramona said assuredly, then turned to Loki, "and I won't listen in, okay?

They both nodded.

Darcy shut her eyes and gave their hands a squeeze, focusing. She concentrated on Loki's green energy, Frigga's green energy.

Through the darkness, a seashore began to emerge, and from far away, she heard the sound of waves crashing. It was nighttime here … or rather, it was a place that always overlooked the stars. There was an ethereal blue light that shined softly on a beach, on trees swaying in the distance.

Darcy looked down and saw that she had feet. Little by little she became grounded in the in-between. She began to walk along the beach, feeling the wind, everything becoming clearer. Soon there was someone there with her. She took Darcy's hand.

She was beautiful. Loki's mom. She had long blonde waves flowing down her back and wore a golden dress, like something you'd imagine Helen of Troy must have worn.

Her green eyes glowed as she smiled, emanating warmth and love. "I can't tell you how happy I am that you crossed paths with my son, with both of my sons."

Darcy returned the smile, though feeling incredibly nervous. You could tell from the sparkle in her eyes ... this woman knew things. "I'm happy too."

They walked along the shore. "I was afraid that I'd left them too soon, but I knew it was the only way."

"You saw your death?" Had she known what was to happen?

"I knew it was a possibility. Just like your death was a possibility, years ago. And Loki would have never known you."

"The car accident."

Frigga nodded.

"I used to wish that I would have went that night … so I could be hanging out in beautiful places like this with Ivy for the rest of eternity."

Frigga clasped Darcy's hand. "But you have such a lust for life, dearest. It's one of your greatest gifts."

She nodded. "I know. It's not like that now, just at the time … I didn't feel like there was much of a point to anything. Dying didn't seem so bad."

"Not yet … not yet. You still have much to do."

"Does this have to do with Loki? Because we're just beginning whatever it is we're beginning. I'm not even sure what we are yet."

Frigga looked over at her in understanding. "You are afraid to love him."

Darcy looked out at the glowing stars in the sky, sparkling down on the water. "Yes. Can you blame me? He tried to break our world. I know there were certain circumstances surrounding that ... but there will always be circumstances, some kind of shit going down. If there's one thing that life's taught me, it's that there's always _something _going on. The question is, how do you handle it when things go banana balls? Can he cope if things get tough for him again? Will he turn on me, like he turned on you guys? I don't think I could ... endure that." It was weird saying this to his mom, but she felt like she could tell the truth here.

"He's always needed someone to make him feel a little less alone in the world. Someone on his side. I tried my best, but it's not the same. Perhaps if you knew him from long ago. Perhaps if you understood."

"Can anyone ever understand Loki?

"Perhaps not. But I believe that you can come close." Frigga smiled and reached over to brush a strand of hair from Darcy's eyes. "It's okay, you know."

Darcy frowned … she'd heard that so many times it seemed, and yet never got an answer. Deja vu. "What's okay?"

Frigga smiled gently. "It's okay to love him."

She closed her eyes. It's okay to love him. Was that the answer to the riddle? … to love him? The universe was literally conspiring against her.

_Oh, hell ... if you can't beat em, join em_, she thought.

Frigga took both of Darcy's hands and they stood in the sand, the water's gentle waves moving around their feet. She opened herself to what Loki's mother wanted to show her.

She saw the cutest little boy, very young … about three or so, sitting in his mother's lap. Her smile was so big. She truly thought of him as her son. She dreamed of the man he'd become one day, wondering what gifts he'd discover, what passions lie within. All mothers have high hopes for their children.

Then the boy was a bit older, chasing after his bigger brother … running down palace halls and knocking things over, their mother laughing and shaking her head, loving the special time when her children were young and she was their world. Their father was their world. They were a family.

And there was Odin, who Frigga loved and cared for deeply ... and though she didn't always agree with his tactics, she maintained that there was a reason behind everything he did ... but there were times that it backfired.

Her husband would take the boys on daily walks, giving much more attention to his sons than royalty usually did, telling them the old tales, showing them the old relics … and saying to them often, "_only one of you will ascend to the throne, but you were both born to be kings_."

Darcy could see images of the brothers being tutored, surrounded by books … and learning the art of weaponry, sparring with each other. As the boys grew older, Thor developed the skills of becoming a true warrior, while Loki excelled at his studies. Both were noble pursuits, but in the eyes of Asgardians, strength was prized above all else. Both boys were great in battle, and both had a quick wit, but Thor was greater in battle and Loki had a quicker wit.

As years went by, they remained close, but Loki chose not to run after Thor quite so much. He was teased for his magic and tricks, his friends automatically distrusting him for pursuing a feminine skill … even though Sif was revered for fighting alongside men in battle, and not with the line of shieldmaidens.

Darcy saw that Sif eventually found her blonde hair turned permanently black one day, after implying that magic was for the weak. It had been an insult meant for Loki, but his mother was also a great practitioner of magic, and she was anything but weak.

Sif never said anything of magic again, but also never liked Loki after that … always suspicious, always having stars in her eyes for only Thor.

There was an endless sea of women who had stars in their eyes for Thor. The golden boy. The first-born. Heir to the throne. Feasts and festivals became a chore for Loki, as most of the girls he'd talk to would always look over to where Thor was sitting. Women would flirt with him just to get to the royal table in the great hall, so they could then wander off to talk with his brother, or perhaps Fandral. It got to the point where Loki would retire early from gatherings and just retreat to the library.

He would talk to librarians, scholars, healers … anyone who had any sort of knowledge or expertise in their field, to learn any new thing that he could get his hands on. These were happy times, though they would not last.

Loki found love's first beckoning call in a rather fetching and learned young librarian, but could never officially pursue her due to her station. As second son, he would be expected to marry a woman of status outside the realm, to preserve good relations between the worlds. The only position she could ever be offered by him was as a royal mistress, and he refused to let her be known as such a thing. It also ended up being another subject for Thor to tease him about … dallying around with a librarian … how typically precious of him. Darcy could see how losing this love would begin to harden him. He learned that he was not allowed to fall in love, on top of everything else.

Loki became secretive. Withdrawn. Cynical. He would open up now and then with his mother, or when he and Thor were alone … drinking, hunting, sparring … but around other people, he cultivated a firm mask. His tricks began to reflect his bitterness and the kindness and open curiosity he had as a boy, grew into anger and resentment, and a love of toying with others. Scheming in the name of mischief. Instead of spending time with girls he had things in common with, as he had before, he'd pursue married women who were unsatisfied with their husbands, so as to ensure their discretion and secrecy, thus avoiding being taunted for bedding the low-born.

After Thor's failed coronation, and his plans for the destruction of Jotunheim blew up in his face … Loki learned of his true heritage. Darcy knew this story, but she didn't realize how devastating it was for him. Somewhere deep down, he'd known that he was different … and Frigga rued the day Odin had convinced her to keep it a secret from him, so that he would feel the same as Thor … but he never did. And it was worse to lie to Loki. It was the ultimate insult to his intelligence. He felt totally betrayed. His life was a lie.

Loki learned that Laufey was his father. To an Asgardian, it was like learning that someone like Hitler was your father … he was Luke to the Jotun king's Darth Vader, but without the possibility of Laufey turning to the light side at the last minute. Laufey was truly a monster. The monster of all monsters had left him in the cold to die as a baby. Too small. Not good enough. Never good enough. Not even for a monster.

Loki wanted to destroy all of it. Destroy that part of himself. If Frost Giants no longer existed, he would no longer be a Frost Giant.

And Earth …

Thor had wanted to destroy Jotunheim as well, but was exiled to Earth. _Precious Earth_.

Earth had changed Thor in a damn weekend. It chewed Loki's brother up and spit out a new Thor. He'd learned humility, he'd learned of friendship, love, and trust … of appreciation. Of sacrifice. He saw that humans lived their lives with passion and humor … that they found pleasure in such simple things, like looking at the stars. Drinking coffee in a diner. Finding pride in their work.

And Loki wanted the Earth to burn for it. For making his brother a better man … so that yet again, Thor was the golden boy. First wanting to destroy a whole world … and then he saved it. _He saved it_.

Loki could have done it. For all of them.

_No Loki._

He had to let go. Death would be better than enduring a moment longer in the company of Odin and Thor. The perfect father and son. Both looking at him like he was a lost child. Like he was mad. Like a poor unwanted boy.

He let go.

And he fell … not knowing what would happen to him.

He fell for what seemed like forever, a weightless living hell, until he fell into madness … crashed right into it. He became a shadow, more wraith than man, and his captors put the pieces back together, exploiting his darkest desires, invading his mind, his soul ...

He should have been able to resist, but he couldn't.

He let go.

Loki never expressed remorse for Earth. Not even after Thanos' thrall had faded from his mind, and his true emotions were slowly switched back on … he would never admit to being wrong. Thor had done things just as bad … Odin had killed a hundred times more people. What was all the fuss about?

_Hello, Mother. Have I made you proud?_

Frigga didn't want to see him locked up, but his anger was still dangerous.

_Am I not your mother?_

_You're not._

_Loki … always so perceptive about everyone but yourself._

It was the last thing they said to each other.

Loki learned of his mother's death _after_ her funeral … from a guard. No Thor, no Odin, no one who used to call him a friend.

A guard had told him of his mother's death. He was not allowed to say goodbye. To watch her last journey and ascension into the stars.

Darcy saw an image of him in his cell, enduring his mother's death … trapped in a cage, alone. No one to turn to for any kind of comfort or distraction from his thoughts.

It was then that he began to feel remorse, his relentless thoughts bringing him back to the edge of madness.

_Am I not your mother?_

_You're not._

_You might want to take the stairs to the left …_

Oh … he began to feel remorse … and once he felt remorse for one thing, he knew it would lead to all the other things.

Loki destroyed everything in his cell. Everything. A distraction from feeling alone … the last person in the universe who loved him … gone.

He wasn't there to save her. He was rotting in a cell.

_You might want to take the stairs to the left._

It played over and over in his head. What his anger had told the monster that day.

_You might want to take the stairs to the left._

He hadn't been there to save her.

He wondered ... why would his mother sacrifice herself for Thor's woman? For a mortal, a Midgardian. Essentially, for Thor. For Thor's love.

He wondered if she would have done the same for him. Would she have protected the woman he loved? Or would she have let her die … figuring Loki wasn't worth the risk. He hated thinking this way, especially about his mother … but he was just so used to it.

And oh, how he hated Jane Foster, meddling Midgardian idiot that she was … but he would not let her die and render his mother's death meaningless. It would not stop him, however, from telling his brother … _say goodbye, her life is a heartbeat. You'll never be ready_.

He wasn't ready to say goodbye. You're never ready … no matter how many years you live.

In the end, Loki got his revenge, his rage quenched … he killed the monster who killed his mother. He knew that it would probably take his death to do so … and it gave Thor the push he needed to save the universe from darkness.

He only wished that he didn't have to leave the world so alone … without knowing someone cared for him the way Frigga had cared for Odin … someone who looked at him the way Jane Foster looked at Thor. Stars in their eyes. Sharing secrets with just a look. Willing to sacrifice anything for the other. He had no woman for his mother to look after.

Darcy saw him lying in Thor's arms, gasping for air. Jane looking on in horror.

He was sorry. He knew he only had seconds to tell him ... and he told his brother the truth … he was a fool.

And he didn't do it for Odin.

He did it for his mother.

_Hello, Mother … have I made you proud?_

He did it for Frigga. For all the people he killed. For the families that had to mourn as he did.

_Hello, Mother … have I made you proud?_

"Darcy."

She opened her eyes, seeing Frigga and the impossible beauty of the stars in the in-between.

"It's okay to love him."

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_AN:2 Feels! That might be why this was hard to write ... I never want the feels to be too cheesy, but whatev. Please shoot me a line if you notice any horrifying typos and review if you have a spare minute. I'd love to know what you're thinking. Thanks for sticking with me :-)_


	22. Chapter 22

_AN: I was blown away by all of your kind and gracious reviews for chapter 21. You guys make writing this a lot of fun, and you've made me a better writer, keeping me on my toes :-) Thank you._

_This chapter has the potential to be a little triggery._

XXX

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* * *

"Darcy."

She was still caught somewhere between the physical and nonphysical, her mind still too blown to be able to concentrate on grounding herself at Miss Ramona's table.

"Darcy honey, ground yourself. Listen to my voice."

Frigga had said it was okay to love him. She had embraced her, held her while she cried. It's what it was supposed to feel like … a mother's arms.

"Darcy," Loki said, she could hear the slight alarm in his voice.

There were so many things shown to her that she had no idea how to process it. Was this supposed to be love? She didn't know. Maybe? It was all too much. Too fast. After centuries of feeling so alone, isolated … _she_ was supposed to be Loki's, like, one true thing?

_Could you talk about pressure?_

"Honey, start to feel my hand … feel Loki's hand."

_Loki_. He had been so beautiful … how could they all not see that? He reminded her of Scott. Such a wonderful and unique spirit, that little by little got beat down … but Scott had friends, a support system, and he blossomed after high school, after the storm. He took control and said "_fuck it, this is me_." Loki sadly took a different path.

"Can you feel my hand, baby girl?"

Frigga had given her such an amazing hug. A mother's hug. Loki had been so lucky, didn't he know that? "I already see you as my daughter. Know that," she had said.

_Daughter? The hell?  
_

Darcy only held on tighter … and then everything started to fade. She knew she was supposed to go back. She just needed a few moments.

Darcy squeezed both of their hands and Loki let out a relieved sigh. She began to feel the chair she was sitting in … the table under her forearms. She could smell the familiar scent of Miss Ramona's room … a combination of incense and candles.

She opened her eyes but didn't focus. "Sorry, I just needed a minute."

Had her physical body been crying? She let go of their hands and felt her cheeks. They were wet … she tried to wipe the tears away.

She looked over and focused on Loki, blinking at him, as Miss Ramona got up to get a box of tissues. After everything she had just seen, it was like looking at a completely different person. Yet he was the same.

"Are you alright?" His eyes looked worried.

She tried to laugh it off. "Of course … that was just some serious _Inception_ shit. Like a dream within a dream … totally trippy."

"Loki, she's fine. It's completely normal. Witnessing the in-between and the nonphysical can be very intense.

"What happened?" Loki was starting to panic a little. What was she shown? Would he have the same type of reaction? He wasn't sure he wanted to experience it if he was going to end up, like Darcy had warned, a puddle on Miss Ramona's floor.

Darcy blinked a few more times and shook her head. "I'm cool, I'm cool. It was just kinda intense, like JuJu said … but I think that has more to do with your mom. Loki, she's … shit, I can't even think of the words." She dabbed her eyes with the tissue that was given to her.

"What did she show you?"

She didn't want to talk about it right then. It felt like it had been a conversation between her and Frigga, and she wanted to keep most of it to herself, at least for now, until she could process.

"She was just so … like, maternal. Compassionate and loving. A seriously cool mom. It was what I always wanted growing up. You're lucky."

Loki nodded. "Yes," he said, almost inaudibly.

She smiled. "Your mom showed me images of you as a little boy. Oh. My. _God_, you were the cutest!" It had been enough to make even Darcy's ovaries explode, and she was never affected by that kind of stuff.

He stared for a few seconds, completely surprised by what she said, then laughed. "You cannot be serious."

"Oh yeah! You had that cute baby hair that kind of curls at the ends, and big green eyes. And totally pinchable cheeks! Very cute kid. Even I have to admit it … and I don't usually gush over little kids. So. You know it's true."

His signature evil grin flashed across his face. "Is your grandmother going to show me baby Darcy images?"

"God, I hope not. My parents dressed me in some weird shit." Well-to-do southern parents tended to make some pretty horrible choices in that respect.

"You were a very cute baby, Darcy," Miss Ramona said and winked. She knew what Darcy was doing … trying to steer the conversation away from the deep stuff.

"Okay," Darcy said, resigned to the fact that Loki was about to take a trip through her past, or her grandmother's version of her past … she just hoped that her Gran wouldn't drag him through her middle school years. Talk about embarrassing.

"Let's finish this. It's Halloween. We've got costumes to figure out," she commanded.

Loki looked at her confused. "We are going to the hotel room first, correct?"

Darcy grinned crookedly. What a _horndog_. "Um. Sure! We'll have to get dressed up somewhere."

He wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but seemed placated. "Very well, then." Loki wanted some alone time with Darcy, to talk about everything that had happened … and also to fuck her senseless, but that went without saying.

Miss Ramona knowingly smirked and held out her hands. "Okay, you two."

They both took one of the Priestess' hands and then each other's. "Loki, since you're not a medium, and you don't have access to your magic yet, I'm going to have to do most of the work, okay? It'll be alright. Darcy, help me if you can, it'll make this easier." They all closed their eyes again.

Immediately, Loki felt a surge of energy from Miss Ramona's hand … _magic_. It was so good to feel it again. Then gradually, he could feel a more subtle energy from Darcy's fingers that felt like raindrops traveling up his arm. The two sensations met in his chest and rose up to his throat. He relaxed into the heady feel of it and took a deep breath. Even though it was magic from the Earth, it was still wonderful. He missed it terribly. His magic had been as much a part of him as any of his limbs, his organs, his skin.

From the darkness emerged stars, and then gradually an impossibly large yellow moon behind a pair of flowering trees, leaves blowing in the breeze, raining down tiny blossoms. He looked down and saw soft grass, saw his feet … he could smell the air, fragrant with flowers.

Between the trees was a stone bench, and there sat the woman from the photograph in Darcy's apartment. Her grandmother. Perhaps about ten years older than she was in the picture, but not anywhere near the old lady he was expecting.

She stood gracefully. "You thought you'd be talking to some ole crone? Sorry to disappoint you," she grinned. It was a grin that he'd come to love … it was Darcy's crooked half-smile.

She reached out her hands to him and he took them. "I'm Evelyn. It's so wonderful to meet you." She reached up to give him a peck on the cheek.

The woman looked so much like Darcy, with the same dark shiny hair ... but this woman had hers loosely pinned up, with a few strands curling down around her face. He imagined it was a dated hairstyle that women didn't wear anymore, much like her dress, made up of delicate lace. He found it a bit tragic that Midgardian women didn't style themselves as such any longer. She looked lovely. She also had her granddaughter's bright blue eyes and full lips.

It took him a few seconds, but finally he spoke. "Em. I am Loki, of Asgard. And it is my pleasure."

She arched a brow. "You can cut the formalities around here, honey. See any palaces around?" She waved her hand toward the trees.

Loki looked around … it seemed to be a garden with labyrinthine pathways to various rows of flowering bushes, exotic plant-life, fruits and vegetables.

"This was Darcy's favorite place when she was little. My backyard."

"We are in a real place?"

She laughed. "Of course it's real. We're just in a sort of different dimension of it. You'll find that the physical version is very similar."

"Will I see it?"

"Have Darcy take you there. It's her backyard now."

Loki's brow furrowed. "She never mentioned inheriting an estate."

Evelyn laughed again. It was so like Darcy's laugh … she held nothing back. "It's hardly an estate. But it is a very cozy home. Her father keeps it up for now, until my granddaughter is ready to acknowledge it."

Loki was confused. "I'm sorry. Does she not want it?"

Evelyn took his hand and led him to the bench to sit down. "She won't admit it to herself, but she is angry with me. She lives as though I'm still alive. She speaks of me as though I'll still be sitting on my front porch when she comes for a visit."

This seemed to be true. Darcy hadn't mentioned her death.

"You've met my daughter?"

"Ah. You are her maternal grandmother."

"Yes. Darcy gets her good looks from her mother's side, couldn't you tell?" She gestured towards herself, teasing. "Her mother is still quite beautiful. She's just turned off the light inside of her."

"I did meet her, briefly … yes." He failed to mention the whole kidnapping aspect.

"That was a very sweet thing you did for Darcy … and Brenda deserved every second of it. And more."

He could feel himself blush. "I am not used to people calling me sweet."

"Well, maybe you should start, mischief-maker. Your tricks don't have to be mean-spirited in order to be fun, or effective." She reached over and patted Loki's hand. "Tell me, how is my sweet girl?"

He didn't know how to answer the question, as she was so many things at once, so he gave a generic answer. "She is well."

Evelyn searched his face. "Do you love her?"

His eyes involuntarily widened and he opened his mouth to say something, not knowing what, and then closed it. He furrowed his brow and shook his head. Silvertongue was tongue-tied.

"You don't want to say it out loud until you're sure that she loves you."

He could only nod. She was exactly right.

"It might be in your best interest to help her along a little bit. Sometimes she doesn't like to acknowledge what she's feeling."

"Like her anger?" Loki wondered how Darcy could be angry with her deceased grandmother.

Evelyn nodded. "She feels as if I left her."

"But you died."

"Yes, but she's my only granddaughter. I was the only family-member in her life that she felt truly treasured her. When I left the physical world, she felt like she had no one left. My daughter, unfortunately, is now pretty much emotionally absent. So wrapped up in her own rigid world that she doesn't believe in magic anymore. And my ex-son-in-law is too involved in the mundane and superficial to see what matters."

Loki was curious as to how she died. "What happened, may I ask?"

Evelyn smiled. "You can ask me anything, honey … but first I must ask you, have you noticed anything different about some of the women you've met here?"

Loki thought for a second. "Everyone that I've met has been very beautiful … and strangely young."

She nodded. "Ain't you sweet, but the beauty part is just because we happen to be a group of lucky broads … the youth, that's something different."

He tilted his head. "Miss Ramona did mention that she was older than she looks."

"Oh, Ramona … she's of the opinion that a lady never reveals her age … so no one knows exactly how old she is, but she's been around a very long time. Long before I was born. She told you I was a priestess?"

Loki nodded.

"I was always older than I looked too, though I wasn't nearly as powerful as Ramona, or the women in her family."

A sadness came across Evelyn's face. "Brenda still looks young, though it won't last because she's cut herself off and suppressed any magic she may have inherited. But if Darcy lets the Earth's energies flow through, it will be the same for her as it was for me."

Loki's stomach did a back-flip. "She doesn't have to be mortal?" Darcy's mortality had been something that plagued him lately. He would sometimes lay awake at night, trying to think of a way around it, any possible way in the universe … as he doubted Odin would ever help him.

Evelyn gave him a nudge. "We're all mortal, Loki, even you. In the physical sense, anyway. But yes, Darcy's magic could keep her around for a very long time. Now, I need you to understand … there's not many of us with the stamina to live for centuries upon centuries. After years and years of walking the Earth, we begin to crave the other side. We begin to want to travel past the crossroads ... the concept of immortality begins to feel like a curse … our magic fades, and we begin to grow old and we die."

Loki understood. "That's why she is angry. You let your magic fade."

"Darcy sure did pick a smart one … I'm so proud." She smiled and rubbed shoulders with him.

"Can't she just channel you?"

"She only lets one spirit through … Ivy, in her dreams. And of course, when Ramona forces her to exercise her gifts."

"What happens if she doesn't exercise her abilities?"

"You're smart, I'm sure you can figure it out."

"She will eventually fade."

Evelyn shrugged. "Darcy has a certain amount of magic always flowing through her because of that spell she has tattooed on her, but even that will fade in time without maintaining it. And her career choices have done a good job of speeding that process along for her." She winked at him.

"But yes, if she doesn't hone it and practice it, the magic will eventually fade and she will live a normal human life-span … which is why when you finally admit your undying love to each other, you'll have to convince her to sharpen it."

She put on her wicked teasing grin. She knew her granddaughter would have killed her for saying it, if she wasn't already dead.

Loki felt as if he suddenly had flames creeping up his neck.

She laughed. "You looked positively shocked, Loki."

"I … it just sounds too much like a fantasy, a dream."

"Everything that you see manifested was once a thought … a dream."

He shrugged, his hands fidgety. "She seems very wary about so much … I do not know if I could convince her of anything at all. The loves of her life are her friends. She very much depends on herself. She does not seem interested in having a family. Or cultivating her magic any further. She does not need me."

Evelyn sighed. "She is independent yes, and women in this day and age don't need men to survive as much as they used to. But she does need someone … someone to treasure her, a partner in crime. A consort. For the girls of her generation, it's not so much that they need a man, it's that they're able to take care in choosing the one that they want. If she chooses you, know that she not only needs you, but truly wants you."

Loki turned away. To be thought of as such … he wasn't even sure if he could bear to think about it.

She put a hand on his shoulder. "She's just a little afraid … and afraid of what I can show you ... but then I think you'd understand. It's up to you, whether or not you want to see it."

"Baby images?"

Evelyn laughed, it really was quite infectious. "I can take you on a little trip through the tunnel, somewhat like the one your mother took her on. It's only fair, and she agreed to it. You both did."

He nodded and she took his hands. "Close your eyes. Let the stars come through the darkness again."

The vision began …

Little by little, the stars in the night sky appear, until Loki sees that he is looking at a Midgardian desert … he can see the bifrost sending the form of his brother to Earth, just as he's hit by a van.

When he comes to, Thor is confused, confrontational, violent. Darcy's tattoo starts to hum, the spell sensing danger. Jane and Erik are unable to calm him down, and Darcy knows that this will probably end with Erik in the hospital. She tases his brother, and Thor falls back onto the sand with a loud thud, immediately silenced.

Loki wonders if his physical form is laughing as hard as his metaphysical form.

Erik and Jane look at her like she's crazy. "What?! He was freaking me out!" she says.

She can't explain why she did it, so she lets them think that she's just Darcy, the weird and eccentric intern.

She finds that Thor has strange manners. He has no idea what anything is, including coffee. Who in their right mind doesn't know what coffee is? He calls the Earth a "realm". He overpowers an entire room of doctors, nurses, and orderlies. He eats the entire contents of their kitchen.

At a diner, Thor is eating stacks of pancakes and Darcy stares. She takes a picture, saying that it's going on Facebook, but she sends it to Jules and Scott.

"_Dude isn't from around here,_" she texts.

His energy vaguely reminds her of Eshu and Chango, of the Orisha and Loa. She tries to hint to Jane and Erik that this guy is otherworldly … she points out Thor's humanoid shape in the photographs of the strange atmospheric phenomena they quite literally ran into.

Jane comes around, but Erik is suspicious until he witnesses with his own eyes, as Thor's powers and mjolnir return to him.

Then Loki sees The Destroyer. It's blowing up the buildings of Puente Antiguo. He sees Darcy running into a pet shop to release the animals that can get away on their own, like the birds … then she hands cats and dogs to people running by, telling them to take them and save them.

She finally runs out of the building holding a small dog, right before the building is blown to pieces.

Loki begins to feel nauseous and the vision starts to fade. He can see flickers of the trees in Evelyn's garden and flashes of the candles in Miss Ramona's room … the world starts to spin, but they move the scene along, calming him, and he is no longer in the desert, but in a crisp coldness … something much more comfortable and familiar.

He sees a vast sterile laboratory where outside the windows are acres and acres of snow-covered plains. He can hear a familiar voice shouting in the background … Jane Foster's.

Jane is wondering what she and Darcy are doing there, feeling as if they were tricked. Two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents dressed up as lab technicians try to calm her down.

He then sees Darcy, plugging away at her laptop, wearing several layers of clothing and a knitted cap. She's been trying to get Jane's attention and is being ignored.

"THOR!" Darcy yells the magic word.

Jane immediately looks over and Darcy points to her screen … hacked live video footage of the Battle of New York. It becomes apparent that S.H.I.E.L.D. has hidden them in Norway, just in case Loki has plans of going after his brother's Midgardian love-interest. The astrophysicist is livid.

As Jane lays into the agents, Darcy sits and watches. It's her first real glimpse of Loki, and she wonders how someone who looks so ridiculous could cause so much damage. Seriously, he looks like a cartoon character … what the hell is he wearing on top of his head? When was the last time he washed his hair? Dude looks like he's been awake for a week on a meth-binge. Didn't he know that people haven't carried around scepters since the middle ages? Nerd.

So this is Thor's little brother. The one who destroyed their peaceful little town in New Mexico with a fire-breathing robot. What a drama queen and a half.

Jane feels helpless. Trapped. Wishing she could help in some way ... knowing that Thor was on Earth after all that time trying to find him ... and yet he was still out of reach.

After the battle ends and the Avengers are victorious, Darcy brings a devastated Jane a can of Norwegian beer that she yanked from the lab's kitchen stash. To try to crack a smile out of her, Loki's new lover shotguns the beer … and it actually seems to cheer her boss up for awhile. They spend the rest of the day and night listening to loud rap music from Darcy's iTunes, and pissing off the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Scandinavian scientists.

Darcy tries to make Jane forget the heartbreak, at least for a little while. "Come on, we're gonna play this new Kanye and Jay-Z album, and we're gonna dance it out, and drink this disgusting Norwegian beer, and forget about Thor, and about how him and his friends gallivanted around New York, picking on his adopted little brother. Poor guy."

She gives her a big toothy smile and Jane actually laughs.

Darcy, already tipsy at this point, gestures towards her computer screen and the S.H.I.E.L.D. video footage she's still hooked up to.

"Look dude, they've got some kind of muzzle on him. _Damn_, that's some kinky shit. And just think, Thor must have been carrying that around on him, like in his pocket … a kinky muzzle that perfectly matches Loki's armor. That's fucked up, yo. He probably has some weird bondage fetish … take it from me, you don't need that in your life."

They both start giggling and Loki can see them dancing and reciting lines to rap songs … confusing the agents who are now regretting bringing them there, which of course, is the whole point.

_I ball so hard muh-fuckers wanna fine me._

"Hey, you know, I think this whole album is about Thor and Loki," Darcy says.

Jane giggles, clearly feeling the effects of the beer as well. "What makes you say that?"

"It's called '_Watch the Throne_', and that's what this is all about, isn't it? A damn throne? That doesn't actually exist? And Kanye's all like … '_you are now watchin' the throne, don't let me get in my zone, don't let me get in my zone_' … like he's daring them or something … like he's sayin', 'you better not let me in that zone or imma fuck you up!'"

"You're drunk, Darcy.'

"Thor is totally Jay-Z and Loki is totally Kanye. Jay is cool and all, but everyone knows that Kanye is a lot more interesting, even though he's a little shit."

Jane laughs … which of course, is the whole point.

Later, Jane is outside looking up at the stars that she loves so much, and Darcy comes up to stand beside her.

"He'll come back."

"No. Thor was here and he left without a word. After everything. No … I'm done."

Darcy puts her arm around Jane.

She looks up at the sky and makes a promise to herself, that she'll visit home soon … where the beer is light and refreshing, and the dishes don't all contain herring. She'll get away from this crazy shit and these crazy people for a little while …

_Home._

Loki then sees a big tall house on an old street, lined with huge trees. He sees a mother and a daughter, sitting on a porch. The mother is bouncing the little girl, about a year old, in her lap, and she waves her little hand at the people who walk by. The mother is happy, but over the next year finds herself alone, her husband never home. The charismatic man she fell in love with in college now works 80-hours a week and spends way too much time with his secretary.

When Darcy's dad is home, her parents fight … and when he's not home, her mom is left with a baby, who she resents. She has dreams of her own. She has ambitions of her own that she wants to pursue, and she can't do that staying at home.

Darcy is dropped off at her grandmother's house more and more, and over the years, begins to think of Evelyn as her mother. Her mom works the days and nights away in labs, working her way up, having to learn how to be tough and hard in a scientific community comprised mainly of men. She throws herself into her work to forget about her failed marriage, turns off her emotions so as to not feel the heart that her husband so thoroughly broke.

Loki can see that this is what Darcy is afraid of … she has dreams of her own, like her mother did. Her mother was once happy. And what if she falls in love with someone and they break her heart … what if she turns everything off, like her mother did, because she couldn't cope. She doesn't want to give a man that kind of power … it's much easier to put them in the friend-zone.

Brenda's work takes her to different cities and Darcy refuses to go with her. She wants to stay in the same city as her grandmother, so she stays with her dad … who remarries and has more children. A couple times.

She feels alone at home, but never when she's with friends. Loki sees a young Darcy, Jules, Scott, and Ivy in their school uniforms, walking down the hallway of a private school. They stick together. They're inseparable.

Over the years, he sees their adventures. The festivals, all the days beside the pool in the summertime, the crawfish boils, voodoo ceremonies, Christmas pageants, the music, the gatherings centered around grand feasts, football game-days … he sees the elaborate costumes they plan and put together for Mardi Gras. He sees them standing among seas of people, watching lit-up grand floats in parades, catching beads, sneaking daiquaries, passing around a tiny cigarette.

For a few years, Scott climbs through Darcy's window at night, when things get bad at home, or at school. He lays in her bed and he cries … he can't stand it anymore, being so different, being so wrong. She tells him he's not wrong, he's beautiful, and that things will get better, over and over again.

For the last Mardi Gras they all spend together, the girls go as three faeries and Scott goes as Maleficent. His boyfriend goes as Prince Phillip … screw Sleeping Beauty, they say. She's boring. No one wants to dress up like her.

Loki sees the streets of the French Quarter filled with people in colorful and whimsical costumes, celebrating a day of hedonistic revelry. The alcohol flows, the music is loud, everyone dances, everyone is happy.

It's their senior year … the year that everyone makes so many plans. Darcy's going to Tulane. Jules will be traveling through South America to learn about Santeria and Candomblé, as part of her training. Ivy has been granted a full scholarship to LSU. Scott plans to backpack through Europe with his boyfriend before deciding on his future.

None of this will happen.

In August there's a hurricane watch. Jules and Darcy don't pay much attention … they're used to it. There will always be hurricane watches.

After walking home from Nella's restaurant where they are working for the summer, they pass by the Old Ursuline Convent. It's one of the oldest buildings in New Orleans. It's also one of the most haunted. The infamous third-floor windows are open.

"You ever see those open?" Jules asks. They'd heard tales of the place since they were little … that the third floor was locked up, windows nailed shut, to keep whatever might be up there, inside.

"No. Never." Darcy says.

"Creepy."

It gives them a bad feeling.

Everyone in the city has their own hurricane plan, and theirs has always been to go to Scott's family's hotel in Shreveport. Scott wants his boyfriend to come with them, but he needs to stay and help his family prepare. Board up windows. Buy plenty of water for his grandma. He tells Scott not to worry … the storm will probably come close and then curve to the right like they usually do … and all this preparation will be for nothing.

They hope this will be just your run-of-the-mill hurricane party, a minor disturbance. Drink wine and play board games for a few days. But in their hotel room, the four watch the news in shock and horror, non-stop, for days. They eat chips out of vending machines for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The storm is damaging on its own, but then the levees fail. A good portion of the city is under water, including the lower 9th, where some of Jules' family lives. Mid City, Chalmette, Lakeview. The East. Under water. They watch footage of people on their rooftops, begging for help. They hear stories of bodies floating in the flood-waters. Stories of people drowning in their attics. They hear stories of looting and vigilantism. The city has been destroyed.

All of Darcy's family is accounted for. Her father always travels to Texas for evacuations, her mother is living in Virginia, her grandmother stays with a friend in Mississippi.

Not all of Jules' family is accounted for, as her family is so huge that Jules sometimes has trouble keeping up. She has many aunts, uncles, and cousins … but her mother, father, and JuJu are all fine.

Scott can't get ahold of his boyfriend, and he paces around in a panic. The girls try to reassure him that he's probably fine, it's just that there's no electricity, no phones, no way to get into contact. They don't tell him they're worried. Worried he never made it out of his grandma's house in the 9th Ward.

They watch the American government's slow-as-molasses response. They say they can't get into the area, but then there are the stories of civilians rescuing survivors, using their own boats. Jules goes into hysterics. Loki sees her banging on the television at the sight of helicopters flying over the flood waters.

"They're just letting us die!"

They see images of the president flying over the destruction.

"He's just wavin' to all the people starving and dying of dehydration on their rooftops! The fuck is he doing?!"

They watch a broadcast that he gives in Jackson Square, with St. Louis Cathedral in the background. A nice picturesque scene while the rest of the city is in shambles. He says that the city will come back.

It's hard to sit through.

They watch a show on television meant to raise money for the cause. They watch famous people plead with the rest of the country to send help, to save the city.

Darcy watches Kanye stand up in front of the whole world to say that the president doesn't care about black people.

Jules loses her shit. "Fuck YEAH motherfucker!

Scott is shocked. "Dude just does what he wants, doesn't he? _Damn_."

Darcy shakes her head. "He might be right, but that man is an attention whore."

Eventually, the flood waters recede, but people can't go home. The electricity is slow to come back on. The National Guard is camped out. There's nothing to go back to. No school, no jobs. Darcy goes to her mom's in Virginia for a little while, and the others travel around the south.

After several weeks in Virginia, Scott calls her. "Can you come home? I think we need you to come home."

"What happened?"

"Jules. She went to the 9th Ward to rescue some dogs and was attacked."

"Attacked?"

"Yeah. Attacked." He didn't want to say the word.

"What has happened to people?" Darcy whispers.

Jules stays with her at her dad's house, and sleeps with her in her bed. The Garden District didn't suffer too much damage. Broken windows, downed trees, damaged rooftops … nothing like a lot of the people she knew who lost everything.

Scott's boyfriend ends up in Houston, his parent's house destroyed. He had decided to leave after being shot at while looking for water.

There is damage everywhere, loss everywhere, it feels like the apocalypse for awhile. Normal life is slow to return. Little by little, things start to open back up again. Darcy is supposed to start her freshman year at Tulane, but it's closed, so she helps where she can, working with Nella to reopen her restaurant.

She visits Evelyn down the street from her dad's house … Darcy is worried about her. She never leaves the house, and she's not looking well … the ever-present youthful luster is gone. Darcy brings her food and gossip magazines to cheer her up.

Her dad is completely absent, working on suits filed after the storm, her brothers and sisters don't see him very much for months, not that they ever did to begin with.

Loki sees Darcy walking up the sidewalk to her father's house … her dad is actually there that day, talking to a woman in the driveway.

"Hey darlin', this is our new neighbor."

"Your father has told me so much about you."

Darcy laughs bitterly, and barely acknowledges them, not looking up. "I don't know how, he doesn't know anything about me," she says.

As she walks up the driveway, she hears the woman say to her father, "I know it's hard. Our children are only ours for such a short time, and then they go off into the world …"

That night she gets ready for a double-date with Ivy. She's not thrilled with the boys they'll be hanging out with, but it's been so long since they went out and had fun.

Her brother comes into her room and wonders where Jules went.

"She's feeling better. She went back home."

"She shouldn't have been over there in the first place … what did she expect?"

Darcy drops the brush she's using to style her hair.

"What did you say?"

"I'm sorry, Darce, but she had no business being there."

She punches him in the face, actually makes the kid bleed. "Fuck you, victim-blaming piece of shit!"

Her father intervenes. Tells Darcy she's not going anywhere tonight. He takes her phone, he takes her keys.

She laughs at him. "Why start this whole parenting thing now? I'm supposed to be going to college!"

"You were rude to that poor lady today, and I won't tolerate that attitude, you know better! You can't go around treating people like that because you had a bad day. And you can't go around punching people just because they say something stupid!" Darcy has never seen him so angry. So ... present.

She does feel bad about being rude to the lady, but couldn't care less about punching her brother. She has a feeling her dad only reacted that way because she embarrassed him. Can't have that!

The next morning, Jules comes over with the news that Ivy died in a car accident. Darcy was the last one to know because her phone had been taken away. She doesn't react for awhile because she's in shock … and part of the reason she's in shock, is because she was supposed to have been in the car.

She replays the circumstances in her head over and over again. Maybe she could have made Ivy wear her seat-belt? No, wouldn't have mattered … the whole back of the car had been crushed. She still could have tried though.

Her father is also in shock. His daughter could have been in that car. What had possessed him to punish her like that? Thank God he did.

Loki sees the funeral, the look of hatred that Darcy gives the two boys in suits, who are black and blue, one with his arm in a cast … the boys in the front seat of the car. Why didn't one of them offer the lady the front seat?

Everyone in the pews of the church looks numb … they're so used to loss at this point, that they don't know how to react anymore.

Soon after Ivy's death, Jules finds the spell for their tattoos. It's perfect.

They're so weary of always being afraid. They're so tired of bracing themselves for tragedy. They can't stand it anymore … it's like they're going crazy.

Life holds no joy.

Jules shows Darcy her discovered journal and tries to convince her to participate in the spell. It needs at least three people. Darcy refuses. It looks painful … and permanent. And scary. Darcy tells Jules to slow down, wait a little while, and if she still feels the same way in a few months ... they'll revisit.

Then Evelyn passes away. Darcy had been visiting often, bringing her things, trying to cheer her up. Her grandmother had grown depressed after the storm. She watched the city she loved so much be destroyed. Now that rebuilding had begun, there was corruption everywhere, vultures feeding off the vunerable. She saw so many friends displaced. She saw the heart and the soul of the city being snuffed out. She couldn't watch its spirit die any longer.

She had walked the Earth for long enough, it was time to know peace.

Loki could see Darcy standing in front of her grandmother's tomb. "You could have stayed. It's all going to come back," she whispers.

She agrees to the tattoo.

He sees the spell being weaved. Miss Ramona is chanting in a room full of candles and smoke. Her hands hover over Darcy's stomach as a man, obviously talented in these darker arts, uses what looks to be a rudimentary device, to tattoo the ink into her skin.

And Darcy is in pain, the worst pain of her life … but she can't move. She must stay completely still. All she wants to do is scream, but then her stomach muscles would move.

And then there is the binding. The three remaining friends must be bound, connected. They hold hands, Miss Ramona chants, and it feels like their new tattoos are burning them alive from the inside out. Afterward, they sleep for days.

Even with the new connection, Darcy still feels aimless, blank … she feels depression creeping up the back of her neck, and she doesn't want to succumb.

She tells her friends that she's going to Culver in Virginia for a few semesters, and will then transfer back to Tulane, when it reopens.

But this doesn't happen.

On the drive to a new place, she looks up at the stars … she promises to go back home. Always go back home.

She worries that her new life will be boring.

That nothing exciting will ever happen.

She'll see nothing new.

Because what could be more crazy than home?

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

"Did you see?" Evelyn was still sitting next to Loki. The blossoms from the trees still falling down around them.

He stayed silent for a few seconds as he was dumbfounded. He nodded finally.

"It was Frigga. My mother saved her," he whispered … he really couldn't say much else. He was blindsided, as Darcy would say, his mind was blown. His eyes were still closed.

"She intervened for you."

"She did." It was very rare that his mother would try to tip the scale one way or the other … she was a firm believer in letting things happen naturally.

In a daze, he said, "my mother saved Darcy before she ever knew Jane Foster. She must have seen …"

Evelyn laughed. "You can't say it either, can you. Love?"

She shook her head at him. "Mothers with the Sight are advised not to look into their children's futures too much, but sometimes we can't help but to see if they'll be well-loved by someone worthy. Frigga must have seen Darcy as a possibility for you and deemed her worthy."

"Quite." His voice broke.

The vision had rattled him. The sight of so much devastation. It made his plight with Thor and Odin on Asgard seem petty. "The destruction I saw … it was …"

"It was truly heartbreaking."

"But Darcy was right. It came back."

"Yes. It did. But it was my time to move on. I could feel it in my bones and in my heart. I had my time, the world is for them now."

Loki nodded. "Thank you."

She gave her half-smile. "We're just trying to help things along, honey."

He inclined his head. "Help things along?"

"You want to get your magic back, don't cha?"

"I don't understand." He felt like he'd been saying that way too much lately.

Evelyn held up her hands. "That's all I got, darlin'. I can't say anything else."

"You and my mother are the perfect pair," he said dryly.

Evelyn gave Loki a kiss on the cheek and a hug.

"Now go," she whispered.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

"Loki, can you feel my hand?"

He could feel his hands being squeezed, and was vaguely aware of the room that he was in. Little by little, things became more clear. The chair he was sitting in, the table, the fragrant air.

"You okay, Loki?" He opened his eyes to see Darcy smiling at him. "Mind blown?" She was giving him that bewitching half-smile she inherited.

"Indeed."

"Baby pictures?"

Loki smiled slowly, as if seeing this woman for the first time. "I did. I saw you."

"Was I wearing that stupid sailor dress they liked to put me in?"

He laughed and shook his head.

"Thank God."

Miss Ramona gave his hand a squeeze before she let go. "The two of you should try to be gentle with each other for a little while. You both have a lot to process." She noticed that Loki frowned a little at the mention of having to be gentle. "What I mean is, mentally. Don't be too hard on each other."

Loki nodded, relaxing.

"So can we do anything about Loki's powers?" Darcy was curious if Miss Ramona had found the answer.

The priestess looked to Loki. "I'm afraid I can't tell you."

Loki's face fell. "Can't. Or won't"

Miss Ramona gave him a sympathetic smile. "Honey, Odin is a sly one. If I tell you how to get your magic back, if I come out and say it … it'll be cheating, and you'll never get it back."

"Oh _shit_." Darcy said. "Can you give him a hint?"

Miss Ramona shook her head.

Loki started to get angry. "Is the task, or whatever it is, even attainable?"

"Yes. It is attainable. And it seems as if you have two spirits helping you."

"My mother and Darcy's grandmother. Perfect. It sounds as if they could give Odin a run for his money in being sly."

The Priestess arched a brow. "I'll tell you one thing … it doesn't look like it's going to happen in here, so you best be gettin' out into the world. It's Halloween and it's game-day."

Darcy energetically stood up. "Hell yeah, game-day!

She reached over and hugged Miss Ramona tight. "Thank you."

"It's up to you now," she barely whispered in Darcy's ear.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

After leaving Miss Ramona's, Darcy could barely keep up with Loki's speed-walking. She knew what was plaguing him. Energetic work could sometimes make you feel all kinds of horny … because it reminds you of exactly how alive you are … and you're more aware of your physical senses and your physical body. And with Loki not feeling any sort of magic flowing through him in awhile … well, she couldn't imagine.

"Loki, slow down!"

He stopped abruptly, looking around. He let her catch up, then grabbed her hand and dragged her along.

He looked confused. "Darcy, why is everyone wearing the same shirt? I have seen at least ten people with Miss Ramona's shirt on."

Darcy laughed. "That was a New Orleans Saints t-shirt … they're playing today. Black and Gold are their colors. The fleur de lis is their logo."

He nodded his head. "Oh, yes. Like the Green Bay Packers."

"Exactly."

"I prefer the Green Bay Packers."

"Don't let people hear you say that around here."

Loki chuckled. "Is the quarterback going to continue to throw the ball right to the other team?"

Darcy let go of his hand and punched him in the arm. At this point, they were walking through the hotel lobby.

"It's called an interception, and you're supposed to be on my side."

"And why is that."

"Because they're _my_ team."

"Why can't I pick my own team?" They stepped into the elevator.

"Because it's more fun when a couple likes the same team."

Loki smiled slowly as they rode up to the third floor. "You think of us as a couple?"

"Of course." Darcy took his hand again and smiled up at him. "You're my beau."

She laughed to herself, _God that sounded weird_.

Loki stood blinking at her for a few moments until the doors opened, and he abruptly pulled her out of the elevator, practically carrying her down the hall to their room.

He stood directly behind Darcy as she searched through her purse for the key card, and it didn't take long before his long arms and hands came around her, sliding them right up her skirt, his fingers slipping into the top of her underpants.

She tried to bat them away. "Loki, stop! We're almost in the room."

He didn't have any intention of stopping … he dipped into the source of her slickness and started rubbing, teasing. Darcy had to lean her forehead against the door to steady herself, as she fumbled with the lock.

He nipped at her earlobe. "You have about five seconds to open that door, or you're getting fucked out here in the hallway."

This made her blush all over, but it also made her helplessly turned on … she swiped at the lock again and this time it opened.

Before she could form a thought in her head, Loki had her pinned against the door. He reached under her skirt and forcefully tugged her panties down and off. Then he frantically unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants, and broke his painfully rock-hard erection free from its confinement.

Darcy gasped in surprise and in lust, when without hesitation, he picked her up by the thighs, opened her legs, and pressed her against the door.

"Loki ... the bed?"

"No."

"The couch is right over there," she said, almost breathless.

"_No_," he practically growled. "I cannot wait another second without being inside you. The couch be damned."

She hurriedly reached down to help guide him inside, and with that first intense thrust, the two of them cried out. It was like putting an icy cool salve on a wicked burn, or an itch that was driving them mad. Sweet relief. They needed this. After everything they'd been shown, they needed to be close, needed to be together like this. Needed to immerse themselves in the other.

He buried his face in her neck and she desperately held onto his shoulders as Loki practically pounded her into the door, quite vigorously. She wrapped her legs around him so she could have more support, and tried to meet his thrusts.

And since this wasn't meant to last long, he didn't mind the beginning of his climax start to climb … but he wanted her to come with him, so he angled his hips just right, giving her the pressure and attention she needed.

Darcy hit the precipice first, falling over it with a lengthy moan, and he followed right after, sounding as if someone stabbed him in the stomach, not with a knife, but with exquisite release.

He stood there with her wrapped around him, both panting for several seconds, coming down … she lay her head down on his shoulder. They were still pretty much fully clothed.

"Feel better?" she could only manage a whisper.

He turned and swiftly carried her into the bedroom. "Ask me that after the next one."

"Can we take our clothes off this time?"

"We shall see."

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

AN: I want to thank Solstice2186 for her expertise on the subject of the storm, as I wasn't living in New Orleans at the time. It's a bit daunting to write about and it's hard to do it justice if you're an outsider. Also, thanks to HaleyJo for her advisement and much-appreciated opinion. Y'all rock.


	23. Chapter 23

_AN: I listened to way too much Cat Power during the writing of this chapter (especially the beginning). Now all I want to do is drink bourbon and smoke cigarettes in the dark ;-)_

_Anyway. The last two chapters were heavy on the feels, but for the next two I planned some fun._

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

"How is my mother?" Loki was holding Darcy close to his chest, bringing his fingers up and down her back.

She pondered for a moment. "Happy. All spirits who've made it to the other side are happy though … they're at peace. Blissed out, even. It's the ones in-between worlds sometimes that aren't so happy." Darcy shuddered at the thought of some of the more not-so-peaceful spirits she had encountered in the past while trying to channel.

She pushed the thought back and returned to Loki's question. "Your mom was just worried that she left you too soon … but she knew it was the only way. At that point."

Loki stayed silent for a few moments. "At that point."

"Stop that. Everything leads to something … I know what you're thinking."

"And what is that?"

"That there was a point where things could have been changed, but you can't think that way. If Jane wouldn't have found the Aether, then some poor kid would have found it … and that gross albino space-elf would have gotten to it even quicker, and we'd all be dead now."

She rubbed her hand over his stomach to soothe him. "But Jane did find it, and Thor took her to Asgard. What happened … it was undeniably tragic, but it rallied you guys together. It was like in _Star Wars_, when Obi-Wan's death gave Luke the strength he needed to defeat Darth Vader … yeah yeah, I know how that sounds, whatever … it gave you purpose. You and Thor got back together. You guys defeated the Dark Elves. We're all alive. Voila."

He smiled and shook his head slightly at her strange way of explaining things … but Loki understood what she was trying to say. "So she knew going into it that her death was possible, and she protected Jane anyway."

"Yeah."

Frigga protected Darcy and she protected Jane. She must have seen that Jane would be important for Thor as well. Loki still didn't care, however. Darcy had managed to not get his mother killed in the process of her intervention.

He pushed the nagging thoughts away. Darcy was right, nothing could be done. It was over. The Dark Elves were defeated. He was set free and then banished to Earth. He was assigned to be under Darcy's care … he was in this bed. Everything leads to something …

"You haven't asked about your grandmother."

Darcy said nothing, the lazy circles she had been drawing across his skin with her fingers ceased.

Loki looked down. "I think that might be the first time you've stayed silent in our discussions."

Darcy shrugged.

"Do you recall a while back, when you told me that it was important to acknowledge emotions so you can move on, whether they be good or bad …"

She chuckled. "Using my good advice against me?"

"She knows you're angry with her."

Darcy sighed into Loki's chest. "I'm not angry with her, well maybe I am a little … but I'm more angry with myself. It's pathetic really … psych 101 shit."

"Meaning?"

"She left. At the time, I envied her."

He slid his hands up her arms and gripped her shoulders gently. "You wished to not live anymore?" He'd never met anyone who lived with such deliberate enthusiasm and passion. It was one of the things that had drawn her to him in the first place.

Darcy turned her face into his chest, his skin … she didn't like thinking about it.

"It's not like that anymore … but at the time, I wished I had an acceptable way to check out too. People checked out in a lot of different ways back then. And at the end of the day, I did get my wish … I did leave.

"You went away to university and never returned."

She tightened her arms around him. "Well … I came back for visits, but yeah … I checked out. If I wouldn't have left, I don't know what would've happened. I was on the way to indulging in some very unhealthy methods of coping. I was drinking too much … taking too many pills, doctors were handing out Xanax prescriptions like candy because there was so much PTSD to deal with. I needed a change."

"Perhaps you were _meant_ for a change?"

"Maybe. But it wasn't exactly noble. I left when other people stuck it out."

"You were telling me earlier that everything leads to something … it's as if it was meant to be, Darcy."

She surprised herself as she slowly grinned … she certainly never thought she'd be laying in a bed in the middle of the day, talking about fate with the one and only Loki of Asgard, Mr. Burdened with Glorious Purpose. But here she was.

"Yeah. We've all had our role to play." She kissed the skin of his chest that she rested her head on.

"Did you just agree with me?"

Her grin widened. "Maybe." She resumed the little circles she was making over his stomach with her fingers, tracing the trail of little hairs below his belly button. This was one of the best parts of sex and it didn't even involve the act itself … but just lounging around in bed and talking. Confiding. Laughing. A lover's cocoon. There was the physical intimacy and then there was the intimacy of sharing thoughts, memories, and secrets that only someone who had their lips all over your skin could know … like how kissing just above his hip bone made him jump a little and hold his breath, as if he could hide being ticklish.

_As if._

She laughed. "When I left home for school, I was worried that things would be boring. I'm not sure I've ever been more wrong."

"Darcy."

Loki felt like there were several things that he wanted to tell her. The words he wanted to say were just on the tip of his tongue. He'd almost said them out loud not too long ago, when she was underneath him, moaning his name, and he was moving above her, inside her, lost in the feeling of the most exquisite pleasure. He'd closed his eyes and thought ... _I love you, I love you, I love you_ … over and over again.

"Hmm?" She looked up at him lazily, skin glowing, eyes bright, hair gently brushing over his skin.

_I love you. So much._

He also wanted to tell her of Frigga. That his mother had saved her … for _him_. For her son. She saved Darcy before they'd ever known the other existed.

But he thought it might be too big of a revelation for her right now … and he didn't know how she'd react to his mother saving her, and not intervening for her friend as well. He didn't know if she'd understand that tipping the scales too much could lead to disaster, to terrible consequences.

For Darcy, death must have been only a possibility. For Ivy, it must have been inevitable.

No, he couldn't say these things yet.

"The things your grandmother showed me … you were a good friend. You were lucky to have such friendships."

She nodded into his chest. "And you were lucky to have such a great mom."

He ran a hand through her hair and smirked. "I am also quite envious of Scott. Climbing into your bed every night? You little minx."

Darcy shook her head. "Um. Have you not received the memo? Scott's not into girls. It was completely innocent."

"Hm. And yet I am still envious. I wish I had a beautiful lass to climb into bed with at night, when I was a boy."

"Please. You were a prince. I'm sure you could have climbed into any number of beds."

He shook his head. "When you're a prince, you can never be sure what someone's motives are. You never know who's been whispering in their ears. There was a point when I trusted not a one of them."

"Hn. Yeah. It's hard out there for a prince." She laughed softly and gave his torso a squeeze with her arms. "You can climb into bed with me now anytime … I'll take care of you. And you can rest easy knowing that I don't want a crown, or power, or money … I only want you for your body." She giggled.

Loki suddenly flipped her over and landed on top of her in one of his lightening-fast bed-gymnastics moves. "You are a brazen wench," he growled.

She yelped in surprise and laughed. "Watch it. I'll tase you." Darcy ran her foot down his right calf and felt his ankle monitor with her toe. It didn't look like much of an ankle monitor, but more like a sleek and fancy silver ankle bracelet. S.H.I.E.L.D. really did have the best gadgets.

He ignored her threat and started to trail kisses down her neck, breathing in the scent of her skin. "Can we stay here tonight? There's still so much more exploration yet to be done." His words vibrated through her body. _That fucking voice_.

She started to sink again, drown in the feel of him, but she was still in a teasing mood. "All this exploration … maybe you should leave a bit of uncharted territory. We don't want to reach the final frontier yet, right?"

"Silly girl … there are an infinite number of possibilities to this union. I'll quite happily never reach the end of this expedition."

"Hmmm … yeah, me neither. I was just being … oh, _wow_ … facetious." He was alternating between sucking her nipple and flicking his tongue over it.

He paused his attentions and lifted his head. "Is that a yes? We can stay in?"

Darcy laughed. "You're unquenchable." He gave her a mockingly guilty look.

"Loki, I'm already missing the Saints game for you … I'm supposed to miss Halloween night? I don't think you understand how much fun it is."

"And I don't think you understand how much fun we'd have here, in this bed. Or in that bathtub. Or over on that writing desk." He gestured towards an antique table that probably wouldn't survive a round of sex with Loki.

"I haven't even been able to truly call you mine for much more than a day now." He bowed his head to kiss the warm skin between her breasts. "I want to continue to seal this."

Darcy was genuinely touched. She brushed the hair back that had fallen in his eyes. "Loki, I'm not going anywhere. It's sealed. We have plenty of time. We're kind of stuck here right now, remember? We haven't been summoned back to New York, and we should probably keep a low profile due to that whole space-demon issue. I promise, we can spend all day in bed tomorrow, but tonight is Halloween … don't you have a favorite holiday on Asgard?"

He dramatically collapsed on top of her, acting playfully disappointed. "Very well."

"Besides," she said, languidly running her fingernails up and down his back. "After the night we're about to have, it'll be that much more fun when we come back to the room and bang, while we're, you know … high on life." She giggled. "And maybe a few other things."

He looked up, intrigued. "Other things?"

"Nothing too crazy, we don't do the shroom thing anymore … just some drinks, maybe a little magic. If we're lucky."

This seemed to sway his opinion. The magic he'd felt earlier had been quite invigorating.

"Alright."

"You know, it's amazing how I can get you to do anything with just the mention of magic."

He gave her a crooked smile. "I think you'd find that the results would still be the same in the end, without you needing to mention the word 'magic'." It was his way of saying,_ I am yours_.

Darcy looked up at him, into his almost preternaturally beautiful eyes. She was compelled to say the words, and opened her mouth to say them … but closed it, and instead blinked a few times. This was a rather different experience of Loki, and it unnerved her a bit. He was relaxed and cheerful, playful … a stark contrast from the broody and serious character she'd met at S.H.I.E.L.D., full of airs and pretense.

He'd let all that go in this sacred space of lovers, in this bed … didn't she owe it to him to do the same?

"Loki."

He raised an eyebrow as if to say … "yes?"

_Just say it …_

"I'm glad you're here. At home, with me."

_Chickenshit!_

If he was at all disappointed in her lack of declaration, he didn't show it. "And I am glad to be here. I never imagined I'd ever feel so at home, on Midgard."

_Ouch! Right in the feels … bastard!_

She closed her eyes, as if she was relishing in the warmth of the sun on her face, after several months of winter. He then let her take control when she moved to roll over him, landing on top, sitting up to straddle him. If she couldn't say the words yet, perhaps she could show him.

Loki looked up at the beautiful picture she made, above him, like a Midgardian painting of an enticing creature of dreams … a naiad, a siren, a muse. He could barely believe she was real, as he moved his hands along the soft warm skin of her hips, then her sides, and up to her breasts. _All his_.

She bent to kiss his chest, breathing in his skin that faintly smelled of the pristine frozen wilderness, and yet he was warm. She lightly bit his right nipple which elicited a low groan of pleasure and she let her hand travel down and behind her, to see if the reaction she was trying to bring forth was present.

_Oh yes_.

She slowly crawled down his body and paused to grip him gently, lowered her head, and rubbed her cheek against his length, revering him, then moved to using her lips, then finally her tongue. He brought his hand up to her hair to run his fingers through it as he settled into the sensation with a contented sigh. His body stretched in pleasure as she fully tasted, finally, taking him in as far as she could go, at a teasing and leisurely pace.

She had a god practically groveling beneath her to intensify her actions, and she smiled with mischief in her eyes … _how Loki of me_, she thought.

She sat up and looked at him under dark lashes and swollen red lips, looking very much like the mythical nymph Loki had thought of her as … and his eyes went black with need at the sight, his breath coming in fast. She sank down onto him, heated, wet and tight … their joining twice as slick from the care she'd just given him below.

They both practically sobbed at the mind-bending pleasure of it … and as she began to move, his hands massaged her hips and pressed into her lower back as if to say, _please_ … _harder_ … _faster_. The desperate look on his face said … _More. Please. More_.

They locked eyes with each other. There was too much emotion there to even contemplate at the moment, so she granted his silent wish and let the wildness loose … giving him more, harder, faster.

"_Yessss_."

And with the movement of her hips, every time their bodies merged and pressed in that ecstatic push to the edge, the same thing repeated over and over in her mind.

_I love you._

_I love you._

_I love you._

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

"Darcy."

"Yeah?" She was applying primer for her eyeshadow and Loki sat on the edge of the giant tub, watching her make-up ritual, memorizing her everyday movements that she felt were mundane, but he thought fascinating.

"How old do you suppose Miss Ramona is?"

She looked at him through her reflection in the mirror. "That's a good question, and one I don't really have an answer for … not even Jules can say." She picked out a brush and started to sweep a light beige color over her lid. "She's had several children over the years … Nella is actually her youngest. Jules has more cousins than she can count."

"Does she have the same husband?"

Darcy frowned. "She's had a few husbands but they're long dead. I don't think she gets too attached to dudes anymore."

"So you really have no idea how long she's walked the Earth?"

Darcy switched to a darker color of eyeshadow to blend into the lighter one. She wasn't used to talking about this sort of thing to someone outside of voodoo. "Have you ever heard of Marie Laveau?"

"No, I have not."

"She was the previous voodoo queen of New Orleans … and she passed on in 1881. Miss Ramona took over after her … and apparently they had been great friends for years and years. So … who knows. They could have both traveled here with the very first people that explored the area, for all I know."

"How old was your grandmother when she died?"

"I want to say she was born in the 1880's, somewhere in there. So, 120 or 130? I'm not exactly sure. When they've told you that our magical lives are kept secret for the most part, they've meant it, Loki. Even I don't know everything about my grandmother."

"Was she married? Do you remember your grandfather?"

Darcy squinted, remembering. "She was married briefly, but it wasn't to my mom's father. My mom's dad was some writer guy that hung around New Orleans for the art scene. Gran and him had an intense fling, apparently."

_Why is he asking about voodoo priestesses marriage histories?_

"That wedding portrait you saw was from around 1910. She only met one guy that she was compelled to marry, and he died in the first World War. Most of the priestesses I've met that live for centuries, have tended to prefer love affairs over marriage after a while."

Loki frowned. "Are there not their male counterparts? The priests that live just as long as they?"

"Yeah … I said most, not all. There are many well-respected voodoo priests, but women are usually the ones with the stronger magic … there's not many men who have become seriously powerful. Dudes tend to gravitate toward religions where they have all the control. It's been a serious bitch over the years, and it's one of the reasons magic likes to say secretive. Priestesses have been burned alive around here in the past, and it's mostly out of fear of women with power and autonomy."

He opened his mouth to say something about the folly of humans destroying things they did not understand, but he thought better of it. He asked something else that was on his mind.

"How is it that your name follows your patrilineal line and yet Jules' follows her matrilineal line?"

Her brows knitted together in slight confusion at the turn in his questioning.

"Um. Jules' family is a matriarchy. None of the women in that family take their husband's or father's last names. I wish our family had been like that, but my mom took my dad's last name when they got married … and now she has my stepdad's last name. It doesn't make much sense to change it at this point."

"Will you take your husband's last name?"

She looked at him through the mirror again while picking up her mascara. "Probably not. Sounds like a huge pain in the ass … I'd have to change everything. Driver's license, passport, Facebook … dudes don't have to do that. Why should we? It's not like I'd be traded to another tribe for a couple of goats or something, and I'm all of a sudden someone's property. It's an antiquated practice."

Loki grinned. He continued to appreciate her progressive sensibilities more and more. The ladies of Asgard would be shocked by her stances on gender and class ... and he didn't mind in the least that she felt as such about Midgardian naming practices … besides, surnames worked differently on Asgard anyway.

He felt confident enough to ask another question. "And what about you? Will you live like the powerful priestesses? Will you live for centuries?"

Darcy set down her mascara wand. _Well, this sure is a loaded question._

She thought for a second. "I haven't decided yet. I don't really have a desire to be uber-powerful, like Jules ... and the thought of honing my skills, scares me to death."

"I could help you once I get my magic back."

"You're not a medium."

"No … but I could help you direct your energy better."

"Let's focus on one thing at a time … we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Why would you not want to live a long life?" _We could be together … truly, together._

Darcy turned around to face him. "It's not out of the realm of possibility … but some of the things I've experienced while trying to channel, have chilled me to the bone. I mean, sometimes zombie movies scare the shit out of me, _Poltergeist_ had me sleeping with the lights on for a week ... having to face the real thing? Dude."

Loki quickly stood and took her hand. "I would help you, and when you have control, those things won't matter any longer."

She nodded, though he could tell she was unsure.

There was a knock on the door.

"We'll talk about this later … we have to get dressed up." Darcy's demeanor suddenly changed, excited for Halloween.

"I'll finish getting ready in here," he said … he was still just in his boxer briefs, which Darcy appreciated immensely, but was not exactly proper for company.

"Okay." She gave him a kiss and walked out to greet Jules and Scott.

"OH MY GOD!" Darcy gasped as she opened the door to Scott in his Gozer the Gozerian costume and Jules with her Ghostbusters jumpsuit on, complete with proton pack.

Scott had mimicked the Gozer hairstyle perfectly, molding it into a retro 80's coif and was wearing pure red contact lenses. _Fucking freaky_. He'd also constructed a white shimmery bodysuit that left little to the imagination.

"Holy shit! You look amazing! And freaky as hell, dude. Nice contacts."

"Thanks," he said as they walked into the living room. "I don't know how long they're gonna last though, they're not exactly comfortable."

"Not like our costumes!" Jules said as she dropped her backpack on the couch, taking out Darcy's jumpsuit. "We're going for comfort this year … we've had plenty of years walking around in constrictive shit and uncomfortable heels. This year, jumpsuits and converse."

Darcy held up the jumpsuit … it was perfect, and had a _Ghostbusters_ emblem on the arm, and her name stitched on the chest. "Is it going to fit?"

"Hell yeah, it's gonna fit. You're my size … except it might be a little tight in the chesticular area."

"Everything is tight on me in the chesticular area," she said with a frown.

"Well, then you'll just have to leave it unzipped a little." Jules grinned. "Just make sure to wear a bra that'll scare the ghosts away!"

Jules unzipped her jumpsuit to reveal a bit of cleavage, and the fact that she was wearing a patent-leather bra that you'd find in the closet of a dominatrix.

Darcy shook her head. "I don't have anything like that laying around, I forgot to pack my bondage-wear while fleeing New York in the middle of the night."

She got an idea. "I did bring my bathing suit in case it was warm enough to go swimming, but I grabbed the wrong one ... I don't think Loki will like it. Jane got it for me as a joke." She walked over to her suitcase and pulled out a bikini top, it had the Captain America shield emblem on each cup.

Scott nodded approvingly.

"Hell yeah! Just keep it mostly zipped up," Jules said. "What is Loki going as?"

Darcy smiled. It warmed her heart that Jules and Scott had already included him into their plans, like he was already a part of the group. It's how they'd always been, but she was relieved that the courtesy was also offered to her God of Mischief, invader of New York and destroyer of peaceful New Mexican towns.

"Ummm … I don't know. I don't suppose you have another jumpsuit? One that would fit someone who's well over 6 feet tall?"

Jules laughed and shook her head. "There's only so many options with _The Ghostbusters_ … and he couldn't possibly be the Keymaster or the Gatekeeper."

Darcy laughed to herself. Asgard had its own "Gatekeeper" and she was pretty sure that Loki would never want to go as that dude.

"Vigo the Carpathian?" Scott asked.

Darcy shook her head. "No, Vigo would be a better costume for Thor."

"Who's Vigo?" Loki walked into the room, curious.

All three turned to answer the question, but was slightly taken aback by his appearance. He was dressed in his suit and had put his hair perfectly in place with some pomade.

"He was just a 16th Century medieval tyrant and sorcerer that lived in a painting at the Manhattan Museum of Art … but nevermind all that," Darcy said as she waved her hand at him. "What's all this?"

"You said we were dressing up … I dressed up."

Scott chuckled. "You're adorable, Loki."

He looked over to Scott in his shimmery tight bodysuit and sparkly make-up and realized his mistake … and then sincerely hoped to The Nine that he wouldn't be expected to don something similar, because he would flat-out refuse … Loki didn't care if that was the task Odin had set out for him to get his magic back. No way in Helheim.

"I know who he could be," Jules said excitedly, nodding her head.

"Patrick Bateman."

"YES!" Darcy and Scott said in unison.

Loki twisted his face in confusion,"who is Patrick Bateman?"

Darcy laughed. She was beginning to feel bad for him … he'd spent much of his time on Midgard being confused. In fact, he looked about the most confused she'd seen him yet.

She walked over and patted his chest. "Let me explain, Loki … I don't think I've done a very good job of it. I keep forgetting that you're an alien from another planet." She thought of something her creative writing teacher once told her in school … that when writing detail in fiction, you should explain yourself to the reader as if you were talking to an alien from another planet. Heh.

"Okay. For Halloween on Midgard, well, in America at least … we dress up, in costume, like other people. Traditionally, it's because the veils are the thinnest between worlds on this day, and spirits from other dimensions can easily walk around the physical realm at night … so we would dress up like scary things … ghosts, witches, monsters … in order to trick the real ghosts and monsters into not bothering us and scaring them away."

Darcy held up her jumpsuit. "But lately we just dress up like something from pop culture, or current events. This year, we're ghostbusters … which is an awesome movie that I will make you watch one of these days … and Scott is Gozer, an ancient god from Sumeria."

"I've never heard of this Gozer ... and I've never seen a god dressed like _that_." No respectable god would wear such a thing, Loki thought.

"It's from a movie, Loki ... and need I remind you of your reindeer helmet and long flowing capes?"

Loki lifted his chin slightly, indignant. "That is my Asgardian regalia, fashioned for a prince, inspired by the helmet of the original All-father."

Darcy shrugged. "Well, I'm sure Gozer came from a long line of gods who wore sparkly jumpsuits ... now, since there isn't really anyone appropriate for you to dress up as from _The Ghostbusters_, Jules is suggesting Patrick Bateman. He's from a movie, _American Psycho_. He's a serial killer. It's easy, cause you've got that suit on and your hair is kinda slicked back. You could totally pull it off." Darcy tilted her head to the side and concentrated on the look. "Too bad we don't have a rain coat and an axe."

"You think I look like a serial killer?" Loki looked down at his suit ... he thought this was what respectable Midgardians wore to work and formal functions, not to murder people in.

Jules jumped in, "that's the thing, Patrick Bateman looked just like any other Wall Street yuppie in a suit, but underneath he was a psychopath. It's brilliant. Seriously, it's just a movie."

Loki still didn't look convinced, and Darcy was worried that they'd touched on a nerve.

She tried to persuade him. "You'll see out there Loki … lots of people are going to be dressed up as scary things. You're gonna see lots of zombies, but it doesn't make them actual zombies."

"But I know nothing about this person, this … character." Loki straightened his tie. "No, I do not think Bateman will do. I think I will be Kanye West, Darcy says I look exactly like him, and I've seen pictures of him wearing a suit." He managed to keep a straight face.

Jules and Scott looked at him like he was an alien with tentacles, instead of a gorgeous one in a three-piece suit.

Darcy seemed as if she was having trouble breathing from laughing so hard. When she was able to speak, she said, "it's an inside joke, you guys."

A turning point in their relationship. "Finally, we have one, darling," he said, as his God of Mischief smile formed on his face. He wasn't the one looking confused and befuddled for once.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

"Loki, stop it!" Darcy said, as they rounded the corner to walk down Royal Street. It was starting to get dark, and they wanted to grab a few drinks at one of their favorite bars, before things got too crazy. Loki had begun his night-long mission to keep zipping up her jumpsuit.

"This is nothing compared to the things you're going to see tonight. Lighten up."

"I don't see what dressing up as film characters, or as Midgard's most frightening creatures, has to do with revealing yourself to the public. I was under the impression that you were to be _scaring_ the supernatural entities traveling the world on this night, not _enticing_ them."

Darcy threw up her hands. "Fine, you'll see."

"Oh, darling, I already do see. There's what looks to be a barely clad kitten right over there, a nearly nude angel, of all things, and … is that an Iron Man costume barely covering that woman's … em, assets?" Darcy looked and sure enough, a girl across the street was wearing a "sexy" Iron Man costume.

She laughed. "Oh, man. I wish Tony could see that. That girl made it herself too, it's not one of those cheap plastic manufactured ones." She covertly took a picture with her phone.

Loki waved it away. "No matter. I do not understand why women are dressing so wanton on this night."

"How can I explain … we're supposed to dress up as things that we fear. Most women are afraid of being perceived as sluts most of the time. We're constantly worried about what people think of us, with society putting insane pressure on girls to look a certain way. Halloween is an acceptable day to just say 'fuck it' and let it all hang out."

"Hn." Loki still wasn't convinced. "I don't like the idea of other men looking at you."

"You mean you don't like other men looking at what's yours?"

"Precisely."

"And _that's_ where you're wrong. These are _my_ tits. Not yours."

Loki opened his mouth in reply, but Jules interjected.

"Okay, you two … stop your fussin! Loki, it ain't that big a deal, trust me. We're two of the most conservatively dressed girls out tonight. And her suit might actually be more obscene with it zipped up because of how tight it is across the chest."

Loki put on his classic indignant look. "I assure you, it is not."

"Can we stop talking about it? I'll compromise. Here … it's mostly up." Darcy zipped it so that only a bit of cleavage was showing. "Here … have some ecto-cooler."

She pointed her squirt-gun at him. It was hooked up to her proton-pack and contained a nights-worth of whipped cream vodka.

Jules turned around. "Let's cross the streams!" They giggled and tried not to squirt each other's clothes as they aimed to shoot vodka into the other's mouth.

"Does that do anything for you, Loki?" Scott winked.

The God of Mischief, who was feeling more and more like the God of Being Shocked, merely grinned back at him. Midgardians had been such a strange and not altogether unpleasant surprise … the aspects that Darcy had shown him being quite pleasant, in fact. Asgardian girls would never let themselves be this playful, this provocative. They were always so concerned with being proper and cultivating strength and discipline.

Loki never imagined it would happen, but he had been enticed by these Midgardian antics, and the experience was refreshing and freeing. He wondered if this was a taste of what Thor had felt when he fell to Earth.

There was so much depth to some of these women of Midgard, even Jane Foster. At first glance, she was nothing more than an attractive, rather smart, uptight wench with no common sense … but at second glance, she was fiercely loyal, strong and nurturing, with a deep and unwavering passion for her calling. All of these things, he could see Thor being drawn to … an Asgardian girl might have one of those qualities, but rarely would you find someone with all of them. Those women were one-in-a-million … like his mother. A woman fit to be a queen.

And Darcy. She had all of those qualities as well, but was also just so unapologetically, Darcy. If she had a passion, she followed it, she put her whole heart into it, submerged herself in it … and with an irresistible sense of humor. And like Jane, her loyalty to her friends was unwavering. She would undoubtedly, do anything for them. In Darcy, he saw a true consort. Someone he could laugh with for centuries.

His party suddenly turned right and Loki snapped out of his daydream. They walked down Toulouse St. and he was led into a darkened bar. Scott and Jules went to use the facilities while they left Darcy in charge of buying the first round of drinks.

"Yo! We need four Jack and Gingers."

A bald man with a dragon tattoo around his head turned around. "Darcy! You're in town." The bartender grinned and began to make their drinks, but not before looking over her shoulder and winking.

Darcy could feel a presence at her back, and then warmth by her ear.

"As I live and breath," said a voice from behind. It was almost musical, the voice. Tangible. It reminded her of Loki's.

She turned around quickly.

"Eshu."

He reminded her so much of Loki, and yet he was completely different. Like Loki, he had a voice that could probably get you pregnant if you listened to him recite enough love poetry. He was also quite tall and had gorgeous blue-green eyes that were always full of mischief, and a smile that could make your knees buckle … but Eshu carried himself with ease. He was the embodiment of the phrase "laid back" … and there were no aristocratic manners or airs. He was always smooth, going with the flow, never in a hurry, and comfortable wherever he happened to be. And while Loki was pale and smooth, Eshu had skin the color of coffee with cream, and rather-impressive stubble on his face.

Tonight, the Orisha trickster was also in a suit, but it looked like something that was worn in the 30's and pin-striped. He was also wearing a fedora tilted over his forehead … he looked effortlessly like a cool motherfucker.

And he also looked uncharacteristically perturbed.

Eshu took a long drag from his skinny cigar and looked Loki up and down. "So. You bring this Asgardian refugee into our lands?"

Loki stood stoically, waiting for a signal as to what should be done. He'd been told to submit, and he planned to comply.

Darcy stepped between them. "I'm sorry that we didn't appeal to you formally, Eshu, but we had to leave New York abruptly … and he is the guest of Miss Ramona."

He cocked his head to the side, eyes boring into Loki's skull ... and to his credit, he allowed Eshu to do it, standing in a relaxed position, submitting to the scrutiny. Darcy was proud of him.

"Loki of Asgard. Exiled prince," Eshu glared. "A failed god, from a whole family of failed gods. Your people don't believe in you anymore … so in turn, you don't believe in them. In _us_. In our calling to serve humanity. You are unworthy. The magic in your lands is gone, barren. Ours survives because we give our people a reason to believe in us. You give … _nothing_."

Loki did nothing but close his eyes for a few moments and clench his jaw.

Eshu took another long drag on his cigar and blew several smoke rings. "You've been spending too much time on that floating waterfall, barking up the wrong tree. Its beauty is deceptive, hollow. You could have been having so much more fun … elsewhere."

Loki only nodded.

"Know this. The only reason you are allowed here, is her." Eshu pointed at Darcy with his cigar. "The only thing that has saved your ass on this Earth, this _realm_ that you scoff at, is _her_."

Loki felt his eyes sting. "And I am eternally grateful to her."

"Hm." Eshu's mood all of a sudden shifted back to classic-mode … relaxed and groovy. It seemed as though Loki passed his test, which had been to admit that he owed his life to a Midgardian and to show submission and respect to a spirit of the Earth.

"Alright Darcy. Just don't bring that Pan motherfucker up in here, _ever_. You hear me?"

Darcy shook her head. "Okay, Eshu, but I don't know that guy. Pan wasn't my fault."

"Nevertheless … if your friend Scott decides he wants his own trickster too, it had better not be Pan."

Eshu looked at Loki again, and this time it was much different. He wore his knee-buckling smile that could persuade a nun to forget her vows.

"Brother." He held out his hand to Loki.

Loki nodded, now much more relaxed, and shook his hand. "Brother." The word felt strange on his lips, as Eshu was not Thor, but it was strangely comforting.

"Eshu!" The two "gods of mischief" didn't have much more time to get acquainted, because Jules spotted him as soon as she left the ladies room, and sprinted into his arms.

The cigar he was smoking disappeared with a flick of his wrist and he brought her in for a tight embrace. "How's my gorgeous creole devil."

"I missed you," she breathed into his lips, as Eshu started to turn in a circle and the couple faded into thin air.

"I hate it when they do that," Scott said, as he walked up.

Loki looked on in envy, not for the display of affection, but for the display of magic. "Where did they go?" he asked.

Darcy laughed. "Um. They're having a little reunion time."

She parked herself at a bar stool and patted the seat next to her. "Have a seat, Loki. We might be a minute."

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

_AN: The Eshu in my mind looks like Michael Ealy, as I needed someone with gorgeous eyes to be a "God of Mischief". But after awhile, the characters in my head don't look like the actors anymore. Like, my Loki in my head isn't TH anymore, he's Loki. And Darcy isn't KD, she's Darcy. Does that make sense? _

_And if you've never seen The Ghostbusters and have no idea who Gozer the Gozerian is ... then I'm sorry, but I just can't help you ;-) Ghostbusters is required-watching, people!_

_(Edited to add that I read an old interview with TH and Natalie Portman, and he mentioned Ghostbusters being one of his fave movies, so you kind of have to watch it in order to call yourself a fan. It is known. Also, Bill Murray. That is all.)_


	24. Chapter 24

_AN: So I'd say from last chapter til the one following this, the MCU kind of fades into the background a little bit and Loki's introduction to the idea of other mythologies is more of a focus. He's learning that the universe doesn't revolve around him. Also, both him and Darcy have some hang-ups to get over, and Loki's already exist within canon, but I had to make Darcy's up and flesh her out. I hope that I do both of them justice._

_I know that a lot of people are probably more comfortable staying within the MCU for Tasertricks, but there's so many amazing fics out there that already do that, and I didn't want to be repetitive. Also, this is kind of just me playing around and seeing if I could bring in original elements and make it work, since I want to write my own fiction after this little experiment, and I like writing about magical and fantastical things ;-)_

_But soon, I promise, the MCU will come back around, and everything will then come together for the endgame of the fic._

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After an hour and three Jack &amp; Gingers later, Jules and Eshu reemerged to take the crew to their next location. It was full-dark when they got outside, which meant the party they were headed to would be starting.

"Tell me of this gathering we're going to," Loki said, now much more relaxed after getting the initial meeting with Eshu over with.

"We're going to an invite-only Halloween shindig at a place called The Dungeon."

"The Dungeon?" he said, amused.

"Yeah, I know ... it's a little on the nose … but it doesn't open until it's dark."

"Why is that?"

Darcy grinned. "Because some of the people in attendance can't go out until it's dark."

"That's odd."

They walked up to a black door that was sandwiched between two rather-hopping bars. Loki hadn't even noticed it until Eshu had his hand on the door.

"It's charmed. Only certain people can see it," Darcy whispered in his ear.

The Orisha god ushered them inside a long and narrow brick passage-way that led into a courtyard, this one featuring a lagoon with a small bridge leading over it … then to another big black door, this one with bars on the window. Eshu knocked and listened.

The door opened after a minute and Jules, Eshu, and Scott walked in. Darcy held Loki back.

She rose up onto her tip-toes and whispered in his ear. "The people at this party are all part of a magical community, I guess you could say. The underground. We're apart of voodoo, but there will be others … wiccans, druids, that sort of thing. There's also usually a few of the Loa and Orisha, and other types of spirits … some that I don't even know about. I mean, there's our group, and they're secretive enough, but then there's others that are even more secretive. I'm definitely not high enough on the totem poll to know about that stuff."

Darcy bit her lip, hoping that everything would go smoothly. "But everyone here is cool. It's Halloween, and this is their day. They'd never let in the malicious, or any evil spirits. That's why it took so long to open the door, we were being checked out, and obviously we're good …. but just be nice, okay?

Loki cocked his head to the side. "Why would you think that I wouldn't behave?" he said with a grin.

Darcy smiled back. "Just have fun. But don't underestimate anyone here. Not one person. Don't go in there acting all high and mighty. You may be a prince-alien-god, but a lot of people in there are going to be just as powerful as any of the Aesir."

He nodded, only half-believing what she said about the so-called powerful beings. "I swear it. I will not upset my hosts."

She smiled and nodded, took him by the hand, and led Loki through the door being held open for them.

Darcy had always loved this party, because she always imagined it was her own version of the cantina on Tatooine from _Star Wars_. Since she had turned 16, walking into The Dungeon on Halloween night had been a highlight of her year. This year, she had Loki, Norse God of Mischief on her arm, and she had a strange warm glowy feeling in her chest at the thought of sharing her favorite holiday with him. She had to try very hard not to roll her eyes at herself at the sentiment.

Already, the space was accumulating members of underground societies from all over the country. The long bar had folks lining up for special drinks and many of the tables and chairs in the open space ahead were filling up fast. Darcy could see that their party of Scott, Jules, and Eshu had already grabbed seats for them, tucked away in a corner and away from the band playing on a small stage. Perfect for being able to hear conversation.

As soon as the couple approached their table, Jules and Scott stood up to sweep Darcy away to the bar for drinks. "What the hell, you two?" she whispered.

Jules took her hand. "_Eshu wants to talk to him. It's cool, yo. We gonna just hang out at the bar for a few minutes, get some of the special drinks they servin' tonight._"

"_Wonder what it is this year_."

"_Don't know, but it's bound to be awesome_."

"Come on, guys, we're out of earshot. Normal voices," Scott chided.

Loki sat down opposite Eshu and watched the threesome congregate at the bar, as they ordered green-colored drinks served in mason jars.

"So Jules tells me that perhaps I should not call you 'brother'." Eshu broke their silence as he sipped on a glass of bourbon that he'd procured.

Loki turned his attention from the bar to look at him, already strangely comfortable with the Orisha. "I do not have the best history with the brother I grew up with, but that does not mean I look unfavorably on the term itself. Thor and I ... our bond is still fragile, but we are slowly mending. I believe the two of us might have a better understanding of the other now."

Eshu smiled at his brotherly confession. "Bourbon? It's the good stuff. Southern whiskey, our specialty. Van Winkle, aged 12 years."

"Please."

A glass of the best bourbon in the country appeared before Loki. He picked it up, looked at the amber-colored liquid and shook his head. "Gods, I miss being able to do that."

Eshu looked a bit guilty. "Sorry, brother. All in good time. You'll get it back."

"If the All-father has his way, there will have been another ice age on Midgard by the time I get it back." Loki took a sip of his drink, pleasantly surprised by the warmth it created, sliding down his throat.

"Nah. Just keep doing what you're doing."

"Can you sense my father's spell?"

"Hmm. No, but I can sense that your magic wants you back. It wants to be set free. Just like 'nature abhors a vacuum', your magic hates being away from you. Seems like your All-father underestimated exactly how powerful that bond is."

Loki nodded. He had a feeling that the restless magic had something to do with the connection to his mother.

"You'll have your "God of Mischief" title back soon. No worries," Eshu reassured.

The statement sparked Loki's curiosity. "Earlier you mentioned another 'God of Mischief' besides you and myself?"

"Hnn," Eshu nodded and sneered before taking a rather large sip of bourbon.

"_Pan_. Motherfucker thinks it's fun to fuck with us. I don't go over to Athens and try to burn down the Parthenon. He ain't welcome here anymore."

"He attempted to burn down a historic site?"

Eshu shook his head slightly. "I don't suppose you watch the Super Bowl? Football."

"I have watched a few games of football, yes … Darcy is a fan of your Saints."

Eshu smiled and shook his head at the thought of Darcy getting the Norse god to watch American football. "I knew I liked that girl."

His mood shifted as he told the story. "Anyway … a few years ago, the Super Bowl was in New Orleans, the eyes of the entire world on us. There were so many people granted entrance into the city that it was impossible to keep an eye on everyone. There were parties for weeks, people coming into town just for the spectacle alone."

He took a deep breath. "During the actual game, that _Pan_ motherfucker thought it would be funny to kill the lights in the Superdome. 30 fucking minutes they were off! The whole world watching. Millions upon millions of people viewing it live on television. We were a laughing-stock. For weeks."

Eshu knocked back his drink and slammed the glass on the table. "Fucking Olympians … they're getting too big for their britches. Humans have been making too many films about them lately … it's going to their heads."

Loki couldn't help it. He laughed.

Eshu wasn't amused. "I suppose that's something you would do in another's territory?"

"Em. No." Loki grinned. "But I have done something similar on Asgard, however. A few times, actually. I wouldn't do it in another's lands … unless, well, unless they deserved it."

He took a large drink. "Do you plan to retaliate?"

Eshu smiled. "You live up to your name, brother. And yes, in fact. The next time there are Olympic games in their lands, the lights will go out for a week."

The Norse god laughed again. "And you, brother, live up to your name as well." It felt good to laugh about tricks again.

"How many of us are there on this Earth?"

Eshu looked lost in thought for a few moments. "A few. Many have faded with time. Most of us thought that you had faded back beyond the stars … after our people no longer believe in us, we cease to exist in this form. But you surprised us when you reemerged in New York … come to find out, you were alive and well. Or rather, alive .. perhaps not so well." He smirked.

Loki ignored the jab."So you are tied to the Earth by your people's belief in you."

"Oh, yes. And it's why many are drawn to this area … the magic is strong here because the people, they still believe in magic. It's one of the reasons we must be cautious as to who we let wander our lands … some regions of the world have become completely barren, and the open richness of it here, it's highly coveted."

Loki nodded. "I can sense the magic here. It's almost as if it's in the air, like the wind. It's a very different feeling from New York."

Eshu pointed his cigar at his empty glass and it was refilled with bourbon.

Loki looked down to see that his drink had been topped off. He took a sip. "And you are right. Although Thor is now a bit of a mysterious celebrity, the Aesir have fallen into myth, we're mere fairy tales now." He winced as he recalled some of the stories. "Our legacy is filled gross misconceptions."

"Most myths are."

"Perhaps it is why we were compelled to stop traveling to the areas we watched over."

"And you came back because of your brother?"

Loki shrugged. "He was the catalyst, you could say." He really didn't want to get into the story. He'd been having fun.

"Why care about him so much? I don't give a flying fuck what Chango does, or how much attention he gets."

"I've not heard of Chango."

Eshu nodded towards a man standing at the bar who looked much like Eshu, but with reddish hair and whiskey-colored eyes. "Chango. God of Thunder."

Loki erupted with laughter. "Your brother?" he managed to ask between breaths.

The Orisha god put on a crooked smile. "Yes. He is a brother … not like yours. We don't have quite as rocky a history."

"Was he favored by your All-father?" Loki's body was still shaking as he chuckled.

"Nah, that's not how things work around here. We all have our calling. Bondye, our Odin, you could say, doesn't play favorites … but humans do. They tend to gravitate towards one of us, someone they relate to. Many prefer Chango … others prefer Yemaya. It's how it is. How it has always been. Humans are all so very different."

"I've seen that," Loki said smiling, noticing Darcy at the bar, chatting with her friends and laughing. Even as ridiculous as she looked, dressed in her get-up, she was so beautiful. Alive.

"They are irresistible," Eshu nodded.

"Humans?"

"Humans like her … and Jules." Eshu grinned. "I spend much of my time walking the roads and highways alone, lost in thought, lost in my duties to this land." He nodded over to Jules. "She grounds me. She reminds me what it is to feel. To truly feel. She has the ability to surprise me, when I thought I was long past being able to be surprised."

Eshu took a long drag on his cigar. "A woman like that will open up your world."

"You spend much time apart?"

"I am away quite a bit … but it makes the time we spend together that much sweeter."

"If I may ask, how did you come to be with Jules?" Loki found himself curious about human/god relationships.

Eshu handed him his cigar. "Darcy has told you of their story?"

Loki nodded.

"Please. I offer it to you."

Loki looked at the cigar for a moment and gingerly took a drag, as Eshu had.

Immediately he was surrounded by smoke and as it dissipated, a vision was revealed.

He was out among tall trees, in a wild land. Moss hanging from the limbs, the night air heavy with heat and so much humidity, there was almost a mist hovering over everything. In a clearing he could see people dancing by firelight, moving to the beat of drums, raising energy and tuning themselves to the rhythm of the Earth.

Loki saw his Darcy, dancing with the others, next to Jules, their skin shining from sweat and from the moisture that hung in the very air, their long hair stuck to their faces … but so beautiful. Young. Vibrant.

After being called, several beings emerged from the shadows to dance with their people, to commune with them. One was Eshu. He wasn't wearing his retro suit that night, but was clad only in a simple pair of brown pants, no shoes, bare feet connecting with the dirt, with the land.

He saw a striking girl with her long braids bouncing to the beat, skin glowing from the light of the fire … and she flashed him her big gorgeous smile. From that moment, when Eshu sensed a gathering, he looked for her, danced with her.

The smoke from the fire engulfed the vision and as it cleared again, he saw a dark hospital room. Darcy was sitting next to her friend who was lying in a bed, her head bent over the hand she was holding.

She was praying to Jules' favorite. Calling to him.

"Eshu, hear me. Please help her. I don't know if she can handle this."

When Darcy looked up, she saw him standing over her on the opposite side of the bed, soaked, his simple clothes drenched, with a feral look in his eyes.

He looked down at the bed and his features softened. Slowly, he bent down and placed a kiss on her cheek, and a bruise there instantly cooled and faded.

Eshu nodded to Darcy and he gently picked up Jules' sleeping form, cradling her to him … and walked out of the hospital room.

Darcy got up and ran to the door, to see if any nurses were in the hallway to stop them, but the two had disappeared. Already gone.

The lights of the hospital grew brighter and the vision faded … Loki was back sitting across from Eshu, the smoke from his cigar swirling around in the air.

"It took awhile," Eshu said softly. "But I helped her to heal. As much as I could."

Loki took a drink to ground himself and returned the cigar.

"I understand now why they all withstood the pain for their tattoos. There was so much that happened, and so quickly."

Eshu nodded. "There were many that I helped to walk past the crossroads then, and many who needed to see the gentler side of our kind. There wasn't too much laughter in a city usually filled with it."

"I see that the laughter has returned."

Eshu raised his glass. "It has. And especially on this night, when mortals, immortals, and spirits can all walk together, drink together, laugh together."

Loki raised his glass as well and they both drank.

"You know, many of us love this night because we can take on any form we choose, from our most ancient ones to our most fierce."

Loki raised his brow. "You have more forms?"

The god across from him smiled and a green light flashed, much like Loki's when he transformed or teleported. In Eshu's seat was a devilish boy, with the eyes of an old man. The light flashed again and Eshu looked ancient, primitive, tattoos dotted in a pattern across his face, his hair long and dreaded, tied on top of his head.

He flashed back to his modern form. "Why do you not do the same?"

Loki shook his head. "I cannot. Odin has cut me off from my magic. He must have breathed an Asgardian element into me as an infant, and that plus my mother's magic keeps me in this form. Without my powers, I cannot appear as Jotun." Not that he would ever want to change forms anyway.

"Just say the word, and I will turn you … for only a little while, of course. I promise, it's quite liberating." Eshu grinned. "It's like giving your spirit a good stretch. Like taking off the proverbial suit and tie after a long day of work … only for us, it's usually been a very long year.

Loki opened his mouth to say that since birth, he'd only transformed into his Jotun form a few times and it had certainly not felt good … but they were interrupted by a deep gravelly voice.

"You seek shelter here, Asgardian?"

Loki and Eshu looked up to see an older man in a dark suit, short but strong, with eyes that bore right through you. He wore a top-hat and puffed on a fat cigar.

"He does, Papa," Eshu said.

"The man has a demon on his back."

"We have fought demons before, I will not turn my back on our brother."

The old man took a long drag on his cigar and inclined his head. "He's bound to one of ours?"

Eshu nodded his head to where the girls were standing. "Darcy."

"Evelyn's granddaughter." He looked at Loki for a few moments longer and then nodded his head, which seemed to give Eshu permission to say something.

"Loki, this is Papa Guede. He watches over the dead."

"Son of Odin?" Papa Guede asked.

Loki wasn't sure how to proceed, as he didn't know if this man was being hostile or not. "I was raised by Odin, yes."

The old man laughed, bright white teeth contrasting his dark skin. "You do not wish to claim him as your father?"

The Norse god spoke truthfully. "It pains me to do so."

Papa Guede stopped laughing. "I like you already. Odin, that pompous, self-righteous old-goat of a man who acts as if Asgard is the judge, jury, and executioner of our entire universe, and yet can only see half of what's in front of his face."

Loki, eyes wide with surprise, choked back a laugh.

"We will harbor you, Loki, of Asgard. We will shelter you from your demon and his mistress. These are not their lands. If he tries to set foot on our soil, we will call the dead upon him. The dead that he loves so much."

Loki was confused … and strangely touched that these people were willing to shelter him from Thanos, but he wondered if they realized exactly how powerful of a being he was. He could most-certainly level most Midgardian cities if he chose to, certainly S.H.I.E.L.D. would be no match for him at his most powerful, especially if he ever found his way to the tesseract, or was ever able to execute his ultimate plan.

As if reading Loki's mind, Papa Guede smiled and unleashed a taste of his power to brush up against his skin. "You resented growing up in a shadow … but we live in the shadows, we prefer the shadows. We love them. We stand back in the shadows … and they don't see us coming." The power that the old man held was formidable, it was substantial, it was … more power than Loki ever had.

"Thank you for your protection, but why help me?"

Papa Guede gave a short nod of the head. "You are a friend. We help our friends here." He turned and walked away.

Darcy. He was a friend of Darcy's and therefore was a friend of these people. That's how they worked. She had undoubtedly saved him, or at least strengthened his chances for survival … and he wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve it.

"Eshu, how is it that I am bound to Darcy?"

The Orisha leaned back and lazily smiled. "Don't worry. We haven't secretly married the two of you. It just means that she has vouched for you, and it's not a secret that the two of you are now together. Darcy's grandmother was a highly respected member of our community, and even though her granddaughter isn't as involved, she's still family. Always will be. So will her children."

Loki shook his head and laughed. "I never would have imagined, when I met her, that this would be her world."

"Most women of this world have their secrets, and she has shared some of hers with you," Eshu said. "Take care, Loki. Most will only share them once. Falling in such a way requires a young heart … but after eating that forbidden fruit, there's usually no going back after heartbreak. Their inner secrets are a nakedness that they will cover from any love that comes along after."

Loki stared at his bourbon. "If I felt as if I'd break her heart, I'd leave. I'd banish myself to Jotunheim, I'd fall through the abyss again, surrender myself to Thanos … before I would hurt her. She has my secrets as well … even though I am not young by Earthly standards, my heart must be, for it has never felt so alive than it has in her presence."

Eshu raised his glass. "I believe you, brother." As a trickster, he knew when someone was being dishonest and when they were speaking the truth.

"To the night. Now, let's see what we can get into."

Loki slowly smiled. "To the night."

The "Gods of Mischief" both drank.

"Just one thing," Loki said.

Eshu nodded, smiling.

"Please. Don't let word get out of the sentimental sap that I've become at the hands of this mortal girl of mine. I do have a reputation to uphold," Loki said with a grin, eyes twinkling, in anticipation of the promise of mischief.

"Of course, brother. We're both self-admitted sentimental saps." Eshu looked over to Jules still standing at the bar.

Loki caught Darcy's eye. "Out into the night we go."

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_AN: Thanks for sticking with the story, you guys. I know this is one of the more "off the wall" tasertricks fics out there, and I've gotten a few messages that are like, OMG this is too weird! ... but like I said, there's so many great stories that stay within the MCU and I didn't want to be repetitive. I wanted to try something different._

_Also, for my non-American readers, the lights going out in the Superdome during the Superbowl in New Orleans did actually happen, but it was blamed on Beyonce's half-time show taking up too much energy. But Pan totally did it ;-)_


	25. Chapter 25

XXX

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"What is that?" Loki pointed to the green fizzy liquid in the mason jar Darcy was holding.

"It's just a drink they serve every year. It has some kind of magic in it, I don't know what … good feels? Felix Felicis? Or maybe it's just Everclear and Midori, not sure."

"That doesn't sound wise, drinking something and not knowing its origins."

Darcy shrugged. "Normally I'd definitely agree with you, but its Halloween at The Dungeon. They're not going to drug us and then take advantage of us. If anyone came here with ill-intentions, they'd be a stain on the floor in two seconds flat."

Loki nodded.

"Here, have some." Darcy said. "But be careful … I may take advantage of you later."

He already had his bourbon drink, but tried it anyway, grinning. "I look forward to it."

"Good, eh?" She asked, with a seductive smirk.

"Yes. Very."

"They force amorous juju into it along with the carbonation." She took her drink back and finished it.

Loki slowly smiled. The evening was turning out to be quite pleasant. He had been a bit hesitant at first, what with the strange costumes, an under-dressed lover, and a seemingly hostile Earth-god, but things had taken quite the turn.

After his discussion with Eshu, they'd approached the bar to reconnect with their party, and he was introduced to various keepers of magic on the Earthly realm. Meeting Chango had been fascinating and perhaps a bit unnerving ... because even though he looked very different from Thor, Loki could tell that he carried within himself the same kind of energy and confidence as his brother. He was also a huge mass of brawn, like his Asgardian counterpart ... and as of late, held the same kindness in his eyes. Thor didn't always have that kindness … sure, he had been nice when he wanted to be, especially with his family, but there was always the arrogance that came with it. After his fall to Earth, that arrogance seemed to be a dead skin that Thor had shed.

In the months prior to the invasion of the Dark Elves, Loki hadn't been sure which version of his brother he hated more ... pre-Earthly banishment or post-Earthly banishment … but none of that seemed to matter lately. The last few days he'd spent in New York, engaging socially with Thor, laughing and drinking as they used to ... only now very different. It had changed something. The fraternal bond was still tentative and fragile, but there was a shift happening between the two of them. Thor was trying to understand. Loki was trying to let him.

"I'd like to meet this brother of yours," Chango had said with his booming deep voice. "I must have a discussion with him about calling the power of the storms without the need of that phallic symbol. It must be exhausting having to carry that thing around with him all the time."

Loki had laughed. "I think he's quite attached to it. Mjolnir is like an extra appendage at this point."

And even though the Earth-holiday known as Halloween had turned out to be quite a bit of fun, as Darcy had rightly predicted, he still wouldn't mind abandoning the rest of the night's festivities in order to take her back to bed. He certainly didn't need a green fizzy drink to make him amorous.

"Come on," Darcy said as she put her empty glass on the bar. "We're going back across the street to meet up with the guy that Scott is seeing. I think he's tired of being around couples."

"Can't this person come here?"

"No way, Scott's new dude is a muggle," she said. Loki had actually understood that reference, having speedily run through the collection of books she had given him about the young wizard with his own dark lord that haunted him.

After venturing back to the muggle bar, Loki was introduced to a rather tall lad named Richard, who appeared to be wearing a garment that rivaled Scott's in tightness. He asked Darcy who he was meant to be, and she said something about an alien named Ziggy, though Loki had never heard of a race of androgenous spiders on the planet Mars.

At this point, the back part of the bar had been opened up to reveal a stage, and a band happened to be about half-way through its set. This was around the time when the night began to seem as if it happened in a series of flashes instead of a linear and smooth unit of time. Bourbon with a chaser of magic had a tendency to do that.

_Flash._

The beginning of the night's mischief all started with the band. The three couples and Chango snaked their way through the crowd and stood to watch an act consisting of two leather-clad guitar players and a drummer. The music was boozy and atmospheric, enamoring the audience with seductive riffs. Loki looked over, saw Eshu and his brother grinning at each other, and then felt the magic start to permeate the room. It was magic that went straight to the lower chakras, and for the humans that were open to it, the energy compelled them to surrender to the moment. They danced a little closer together, their eyes shined a little brighter, all the colors were a bit more vivid, and the night held infinite and enticing possibilities for them.

The Norse god stood listening to the music, standing next to the woman he … _loved_. He closed his eyes. These new gods were a different breed. They used magic freely and with joy, confidence ... they communed with their people ... danced with them. He'd certainly never danced with his people, even when they had still left him offerings and prayers, which they didn't any longer … and he'd certainly never shared his magic with them, helping to send them into an ecstatic state. His magic had always been looked down upon, so why would he ever be compelled to share it with humans as a gift?

Eshu may have been testing him when they'd met, but he had been right in his accusations. Loki gave nothing. He had always been too worried about what wasn't being given to him.

Darcy took his hand and he looked over. She tugged on his arm and got on her tip-toes.

"Stop your brooding!" she said into his ear, breaking his train of thought.

He bent down to kiss her, feeling the gentle static and hum of magic on their lips.

_Flash._

After leaving the show, Eshu insisted on walking down Bourbon St., to the protestation of the four humans.

Jules voiced her opinion rather loudly. "Ugh! Not Bourbon, I hate Bourbon! It's all tourists and pick-pockets!"

"You are free to go somewhere else, we have work to do." Eshu grabbed Loki's arm and led him away. Darcy watched as he grinned and gave her a shrug. _When in Rome, indeed_, she thought.

As per usual, people were packed in like sardines on the famous street, but doubly-so for Halloween. Darcy and her friends reluctantly followed and found their gods standing before a crew of "bible thumpers" who had camped out with their picket signs in the middle of an intersection, fervently protesting and condemning Halloween as Satan's holiday. Decrying New Orleans as a city of sin.

There was a lot of eye-rolling from the humans, as they were used to seeing that sort of thing … the zealot thumpers were like leeches, trying to suck the life out of every party-holiday in the city. They always turned up for the big events … Mardi Gras was especially holy to them as they'd come out for the days leading up to Fat Tuesday with their bullhorns, signs, and hateful messages.

What could two "Gods of Mischief" possibly do to these people? A big smile formed on Darcy's face.

As Loki used his silver tongue to distract a handful of zealot bros in conversation about what the Bible said about aliens (the Chitauri hadn't been alien-beings from a distant galaxy, but demons from hell, they said), Eshu stood back and concentrated on their signs. By the time Darcy came up by Loki's side and hooked her arm through his, she looked up and saw that while Bible verses were still being displayed … but the messages had changed somewhat.

The big bold letters in the headline of "_Repent, Fornicators!_" became "_Repent, Fabric Blenders_!"

_"God hates polyester blends!"_

And Eshu had it backed up with a Bible verse.

_"You shall not … wear a garment upon you of two kinds of material mixed together. Leviticus 19:19."_

For the next one, "_God Hates Homos_" turned into "_God Hates the New Orleans Saints_."

_"Football is an abomination! Touching a pigskin is a sin!"_

_"You shall not eat of their flesh nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you. Leviticus 11:8."_

_"Sinner football players work on Sundays!"_

_"Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. Leviticus 23:3."_

And a sign that had read "_Fortune-Telling, Witchcraft, and Voodoo are the works of Satan!_" became "_Louisiana Shrimp, Oysters, and Crawfish were created by The Devil!_"

_"Eating shellfish will send you straight to hell!"_

_"That does not have fins and scales among all the teeming life of the water, and among all the living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable things to you. Leviticus 11:10."_

Darcy stood back and laughed as folks in the crowd started to notice what the signs now said. Chango, who was well aware of what was going on, started a scene by standing with his arms crossed in front of the guy holding up the anti-New Orleans Saints sign, and staring him down. It attracted the attention of quite a few people passing by.

The much shorter bible thumper took one look at the hulking figure in front of him and backed up a few steps, looking around and wondering why the crowd had become even angrier at them and giving more attention than usual. You just don't go to New Orleans and trash-talk the Saints ... or the crawfish, for that matter.

Darcy watched as people started closing in around the group of protesters, and one by one the signs dropped.

She thought she could hear thunder off in the distance.

Leaving Chango behind, Jules started ushering everyone along … "Y'all are going to incite a riot!"

Darcy yelled after her. "Hey Jules, have you met Eshu and Loki? Gods of Mischief?"

The Orisha god flashed his crooked smile as they quickly walked along. "Those guys can't pick and choose which rules to follow. If they expect everyone to follow a few obscure commandments from thousands of years ago, then they have to follow _all_ of them … one can't be more important than the other. I don't want to see any of those motherfuckers who are whining about people's sex lives, eating any shrimp this weekend!"

Loki felt a familiar fire in his veins. It was like drinking with a dear old friend. Like slipping under the sheets with a familiar lover, after a long stretch away from home. The sweet satisfaction of trickery that he hadn't felt nearly enough of lately.

_Flash._

The next few hours were spent going in and out of bars and clubs … they'd leave after Eshu and Loki had accomplished whatever would satisfy them as an addition to their mischief quota for the evening. In any establishment with an internet jukebox, they'd loudly play a series of annoying songs ... R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet", Rebecca Black's "Friday, Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmas Time", Aqua's "Barbie Girl", James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" ... or just putting Culture Club's "I'll Tumble For Ya" on constant repeat. This would effectively torture the patrons, thus clearing the place out. Many of the bartenders couldn't figure out why it was impossible to turn the volume down or manually skip to the next song ... and most went so far as to completely unplug the machine, but still the music played.

In one bar, Darcy noticed that they bailed just after a pair of bros slumped off their bar stools, while looking incredulously into their drinks.

She looked back as they began to walk out the door. "What did you do?" She had never seen Loki this relaxed and happy … outside of a bed, at least.

"We just switched their drinks with ones that they'd bought for those young ladies over there." Loki nodded towards two girls that were looking very confused at their now barely-responsive dates.

Darcy's attention on their trick was short-lived, however, when she saw a flash of blue in the crowd. Loki looked on as she ran towards a bald blue-painted man in extremely short cut-off jeans and a very fake mustache.

"OH MY GOD IT'S A NEVER-NUDE!" She furiously waved Loki over to where she was standing. "LOKI! It's Tobias Funke!"

"_Who_?"

She shook her head. "Oh, nevermind. Just come over here and take our picture!"

After Darcy proceeded to tell the man that she loved his work and was a big fan, Loki then pressed the camera button on her phone as the very drunk "never-nude" gave Darcy a peck on the cheek as she smiled a big toothy grin for the picture. Any other time, he would have frowned at the blue smudge left on her face, but either he was too tipsy or too happy to care much about it.

There were quite a few more pictures taken as they made their way down the street, including a big group photo after finding more ghostbusters in the crowd.

Loki had had enough of playing the photographer, however, after he heard, "OH MY GOD IT'S CAPTAIN AMERICA! Hey! Look what I'm wearing!"

He found himself acting as if he hadn't heard, while ducking into the nearest tavern. It was probably for the best that he missed Darcy showing the star-spangled party-goer her bikini-top.

_Flash._

After the humans insisted on entering a nightclub on the gay end of Bourbon St. and dancing their asses off to electronic music, Scott then pulled them towards a karaoke bar, where Loki discovered how Darcy must have gotten her love for the rather irreverent art-form.

Somehow, Scott had procured a Dracula-esque cape to drape across his Gozer costume and proceeded to sing "Like a Wrecking Ball" in a bad eastern-European accent. He and Jules then did a rendition of "Rollin' on the River", complete with Ike and Tina Turner dance moves … though for some reason, Scott couldn't lose the Romanian accent.

"Why are you not performing?" Loki wondered why Darcy didn't go up on stage with her friends. They were tucked away at a table in the corner so they could still hear each other speak.

"I'd need Jane. The only songs I know anymore are the ones we worked on while the sciency info was slow to come in."

"Have you heard from Jane?"

Darcy frowned for the first time in hours. "No … I had strict instructions not to contact them and they were told the same, apparently."

"I'm surprised that Thor listened."

Eshu came up to sit with them while Jules and Scott finished their song. He then discreetly flashed into his ancient form. "Loki, we should do that thing I suggested before." He grinned.

Loki stiffened. "Em. Thank you for the offer, but I'm afraid I have to decline."

Eshu narrowed his eyes, determined not to give up.

Darcy was inebriated enough to argue. "I hope you're not refusing for my sake, because I don't give zero fucks about you turning blue. You saw my reaction to the never-nude, right?"

Loki blinked at her. "I still don't understand what that means."

"That's Tobias from _Arrested Development_ … he can never be nude, so he always wears those cut-offs, and he paints himself blue just in case the 'Blue Man Group' has an opening."

"I cannot even process what you just said."

"Whatever! Just do it."

Eshu jumped in. "It's the perfect night, as no one will notice. We hide in plain sight among humans ... I promise, it's very freeing. Good for the soul."

Loki felt very uncomfortable. He was having fun, but the thought of assuming his Jotun form, for any part of the evening, made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"I am not sure it's such a good idea."

"Dude. Look around … there's so many crazy costumes that no one is gonna know the difference. And everyone is _hammered_."

Eshu only smiled, knowing that they were beginning to wear him down.

Darcy was drunkenly insistent. "Loki … just, let it go!"

"_Let it go,_" sang Scott, while walking up to the table.

"_Let it go,_" echoed his boy Richard.

"_Can't hold it back anymore!_ …" Jules went along with the tune as she came up behind the others.

Darcy started to cry from laughing so hard, but got through the next line. "_Let it goooo, let it go. Turn away and slam the door!_"

Scott finished, still in his Dracula accent ... "_I don't care what they're going to say. Let the storm rage on, the cold never bothered me anyway!_"

"You are unhinged," Loki said calmly, though a grin threatened to form around the corners of his mouth. "The whole lot of you."

"Come on, babe. You're not gonna melt."

"SOME PEOPLE ARE WORTH MELTING FOR!" Scott said through his drunken laughing.

He was used to their inside jokes at this point and refused to be affected by them any longer … but then he looked over to Jules and Eshu. She had sat in his lap and put her arms around his neck, his primitive and stranger form apparently doing nothing to diminish her inclination towards him.

He looked at Darcy. Loki didn't want her to run. He wouldn't be able to bear the look of disgust on her face … but then again, perhaps he wasn't giving her enough credit. Midgardians didn't grow up with tales that painted Jotuns as monsters ... they grew up with deformed men in striped shirts and razor-tipped fingers, hockey-masked serial killers, and chainsaw-wielding Texans as the creatures that haunted nightmares.

_Fucking Helheim_, he must have been completely inebriated. The magic must have totally impaired his judgement.

He sighed. "Very well, Eshu. Do your worst."

A fierce smile appeared on Eshu's lips and Scott took it as a cue to take his boyfriend to the bar for a drink.

The Orisha god took a long drag from his skinny cigar, reached over, and touched a finger to Loki's palm. His blue skin began to travel up his arms and then to his face.

Darcy and Jules watched while smiling and nodding approvingly. Not while retreating and screaming.

"How long will this last?" Already, it felt as if Loki's skin had taken a nice long stretch after waking up from a nap, though he didn't want to admit it.

Eshu nodded knowingly. "Just for an hour … long enough for you to try it on for size."

"But my skin will burn a human's flesh in this form."

The Orisha god shook his head. "I've raised your temperature. You're good."

The Norse god took a deep breath. Eshu had thought of everything. _Blast the man_.

Darcy instantly then got up from her chair and proceeded to sit in Loki's lap, like Jules had done.

She bent down to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck, surprising him. "Happy Halloween, Mr. Blue Sky."

He laughed softly, slightly relaxing, and kissed her back.

"Wait, wait, wait …" Jules said as she fumbled around in one of her many jumpsuit pockets. She came up with an eyeliner pencil and pointed it towards Loki's face.

He instinctively ducked. "Don't worry, Loki … I'm just putting a Dr. Manhattan symbol on your forehead." She reached over and drew a dot, and then a circle outside of the dot, between his eyebrows.

"Jules … Dr. Manhattan is bald. And naked." Darcy said.

"He's not always naked … he wears a suit sometimes … and those man-kini bottoms," she giggled.

"I don't want to know," Loki said dryly.

Darcy shook her head. "He's from a comic book. _The Watchmen_. He's this incredibly smart glowing blue guy, pretty much a god … and he's so advanced that he's surpassed the human inclination to wear clothes."

"Apart from the not-wearing-clothes part, I think I actually like this character."

The girls laughed. "Yeah, he's a favorite of the ladies … him and his big blue penis!" Jules so graciously pointed out.

Darcy turned to look at Loki with wide eyes, and a question on her face.

"Don't even think about it," Loki said between his teeth.

She put her hands over her mouth to cover the big smile that she couldn't suppress.

"Time to bounce," Ehsu said, knowing that Loki needed the girls to stop giving him attention.

As they filed back into the street, they saw a commotion about a block down.

"What happened?" Darcy asked a nearby Pee-Wee Herman, who was watching the scene.

The man laughed. "Apparently these guys got into a fight outside a strip-club down the street, and they broke out guns. Everyone went crazy because of all the recent shootings … but when they shot at each other, turned out they were just squirt guns."

His friend, Edward Scissor-Hands, came up behind him. "Looked like some freakishly real squirt guns."

"Yeah. They still got arrested for causing a panic. And the idiots looked pretty shocked by the whole thing. It was seriously entertaining."

Darcy and Jules looked over to their dudes.

They both shrugged.

_Flash._

The four humans and two gods found themselves walking up some stairs to a party. A high-school friend of Darcy's had invited them up to his French Quarter apartment that boasted one of its trademark balconies.

The party attendees on said balcony were busy with Mardi Gras throws that had been collected the previous winter, and were sending them down to the mass of people on the street. Darcy picked up a few light-up beads and dropped them to a couple of zombies. Only tourists thought you had to show skin in order to get a Mardi Gras throw.

Loki saw a bag containing small stuffed animals, plush roses, big colorful plastic coins, and a few plastic swords and spears. He picked up an inflatable sword. Humans were so strange, he thought.

"Those are for kids! They get thrown from the floats at Mardi Gras parades," Darcy instructed.

He set it down and picked up a light-up spear, featuring a plastic arrow-head on one end.

"SIR! _PUT DOWN_ THE SPEAR!"

Darcy then broke out into a hysterical fit of laughter, and it took him a few moments to figure out what had her in stitches.

He looked down at the toy spear, not sure what to do with it.

"SIR! PUT DOWN THE SPEAR!" She yelled again.

"Alright, Darcy, I get it! You are a very very funny girl. You don't have to repeat it." The corners of his mouth were beginning to twitch into a smile.

"I'll repeat it until you put it down! No seriously, throw it! That's what you're supposed to do."

He looked down into the sizable crowd and several people reached up their arms, waving furiously, trying to get his attention for him to throw them something. He rather liked this vantage point.

"SIR!"

"OKAY!"

He aimed the toy spear at a man in a tight light-up suit and matching helmet. He threw it and the guy caught it, jumping above several other people who were trying to get at it. A big smile came across the man's face as he howled and fist-bumped into the air. Loki wondered what was so exciting about catching a cheap piece of plastic, but admitted that the exchange had been fun and strangely satisfying.

"AWESOME NIGHTCRAWLER COSTUME, BRAH!" the man yelled up to Loki.

"AWESOME TRON COSTUME!" Darcy yelled back down to the man.

Loki leaned into Darcy's ear. "How do you know about the things that happened … back when … you know, about the spear." Or rather, the scepter, he thought.

Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "I didn't mean to offend … I was more making fun of Fury than of you … but Clint was the one that told me about it. Actually, it was at happy hour one day after work. We got a little too happy on dirt-cheap PBRs and people started doing impressions. Clint does a mean Fury impression, it's so totally awesome. And Natasha, man, she's the best. I couldn't breath after she did her Coulson impression. I woke up the next day and my ab muscles hurt from laughing so much."

Loki noticed a far-away look in her eyes. "Do you miss New York?"

Darcy wistfully looked out over the French Quarter rooftops. "Maybe a little, but I'm cool here. I just hope everyone is okay."

He pulled her in for an embrace. "This has been the most aimless and random night of my entire life. And yet, I haven't had this much fun since attending the summer festivals on Vanaheim."

She looked up to him and grinned. "You better watch yourself. You're starting to say nice things about Midgard."

Loki's red eyes grew dark. "You better watch _yourself_." He reached over and zipped up her jumpsuit once again. "If this zipper goes any lower, I'm going to carry you back to our room and restrain you from being able to pull this back down."

She raised an eyebrow and threaded her fingers through his cold ones. "Promise?"

After a few minutes of watching everyone throw things into the crowd below, Darcy decided that she was thirsty.

"Come get a drink with me, Loki." She looked at him as she walked a few steps backward off the balcony and into the hallway, lowering her zipper.

"Looooo-kiiiii …" she then turned around and kept walking, dodging party-goers, and disappeared through a doorway, completely bypassing the kitchen where all the drinks were being kept.

Of course, he followed her siren's call.

As soon as he entered the not-kitchen room, she shut and locked the door. Her arms came around him, lips pressed against his. It wasn't until her hands had untucked the shirt from his pants, fingers finding their way to caressing the sigils on his back, did he remember that he was still in his other form, his Jotun form … and the way it felt, the way the night had felt … he didn't care anymore.

He backed her up to the door and pressed her against it with his body, grabbing ahold of the zipper to her jumpsuit and pulling it all the way down, revealing her bikini top. It was the first look he'd gotten of the whole thing and he saw the two Captain America emblems gracing her breasts.

The look in his Jotun eyes almost scared her. "Birthday present from Jane ... it was a joke," Darcy said, almost breathless. "She also got me Iron Man boy shorts," she added.

He cocked his head to the side. "You are _claimed, _Midgardian. Hold to your modern feminine ideals. Your mind is yours ... but these ... " He grabbed her breasts and kneaded none too softly ... "are _mine_."

Her eyelids fluttered shut and she leaned against the door, too turned on to stand straight ... then her eyes shot back open, and she gasped to the feeling of him ripping the bikini open by the string holding the two cups together.

Loki growled. "I'd say that I was going to buy you a new one ... it's just ... I'm not going to."

He then pulled the fabric out of the way so that he could bury his face in her breasts, swirling a nipple with his tongue, sucking, marking the soft sensitive skin as his.

Her unrestrained sighs of pleasure were driving him mad, and he tried to comfortably get a hand between her legs, but her costume was restrictive and in the way. He'd have to strip her naked to get anywhere, and while he normally had no problem with that, they were in someone else's house and probably shouldn't totally undress.

"Darcy," he said, coming up from her breasts ... back down to Earth, temporarily. "This suit of yours is very inconvenient."

She laughed softly. "That's okay. This isn't really for me."

She moved away from the door, turned him around, and backed him up against it … then sank to her knees.

He looked down at her, alarmed. "Darcy." His voice had an edge to it.

"Loki," she grinned up to him. "I want to worship at your feet," she said, seductively.

It was like a punch of arousal to the gut … and it sank lower. He was already hard, but her words made him throb. Puslate.

She palmed him through his pants and he gave a strangled moan. She was actually going to do this, with him in his monstrous Jotun form. He tried to relax, but revealing this side of himself to her, or to anyone, was taking every bit of courage he had. To have her on her knees was an intensely arousing thought … but not like this.

"Loki, let go … let me … _love you_."

It dawned on him what she just said ... he looked down at her, dazed and wide-eyed, and nodded. It wasn't quite the declaration he desired, but it was pretty damn close.

Darcy unbuckled, unzipped, then freed his Jotun cock from his pants. She smiled up at him enticingly, to let him know that she was still totally into what was right in front of her.

She didn't know when someone might want to come in the room, as it seemed to be some sort study or home office, so she set right to work, swirling the tip with her tongue, gripping him at the base … pausing to lick one of his Jotun ridges running down the sides. The back of his head fell back, hitting the solid surface behind him rather loudly, and he slammed his fist into the door. _Well that elicited a reaction … interesting_.

After she took him in as much as she could, until he reached the back of her throat, Loki couldn't hold back a loud gasp, and then a strangled moan. This gave her the go-ahead to continue, and she found a steady pace ... then realized that the temperature of his dick was actually having a numbing effect, which made it strangely easier to go a little deeper.

Darcy sneaked a peek up at him. He had his head thrown back and his eyes were shut tight, panting heavily, no doubt trying to control himself. He really didn't need to do that … she wanted him to let go … so she broke her rhythm and ran her tongue down the ridges on both sides again, then went deep. He practically fell apart around her and brought his hands up to her head, urging her to go faster, please go faster … almost, almost, and then he slammed the door with his fists again as he came, creating dents in the wood, crying out her name … a different sort of orgasm, powerful, tingly, and oh so good … like a fresh cold breeze of pure pleasure washed all over his body.

Darcy stayed kneeling for a few moments and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek on his thigh. That had been an experience. A pretty arousing experience, actually. He tugged on her arms, helped her to stand up, and then attacked her mouth with his.

Her lips were very cold from the attention she had just given him, and the mere thought of it made him hard all over again. He thought, _fuck it_, and made to slide the jumpsuit off her shoulders, but she broke their kiss.

"Shhhh. We can't do this here. Someone's coming."

There was a knock at the door and they both froze.

"Hello?" Darcy asked tentatively.

"Yeah." It was Scott. "Someone heard loud _banging_ on the door and then saw that it was locked. They were worried that someone was stuck in there. You better hurry … I think they went to get keys." He sounded pretty amused.

"_Shit_." They scrambled to get their clothes back in order and get back to their party, though it felt very odd for Darcy to have no support on her chest. She tucked her ripped bikini-top into one of her pockets, but Loki reached in to grab it, tossing it in a trash can filled with beer cans and liquor bottles.

Everyone was still on the balcony, enjoying the night, the late-October breeze, the friends … the moment. By this time, Loki's skin had reverted back to his normal Asgardian form, and he found himself unexpectedly disappointed. Eshu had also gone back to his modern-self and gave his brother-in-mischief a knowing smile. It _had_ been freeing. Liberating. It had felt good … like jumping into a cool lake on a hot and humid day.

Loki was much more comfortable in his pale skin, but he could see the appeal of exploring other sides of himself from time to time.

Especially if Darcy kept doing that thing with her tongue.

He gave her a peculiar look, one of adoration. "Thank you," he said, as sincerely as he ever got.

She was opening up his world in ways he never thought possible. He was certain it would be impossible for someone to love him in his Jotun form. It needed to stay hidden at all costs.

But she embraced him. All of him.

_Flash_.

They stayed out for a bit longer, and little by little, they lost the people they were with, which was fine. Scott and Richard bailed first, wanting some alone time. Then Jules and Eshu went to spend the rest of the night together, before he had to leave.

"I'll see you again soon, brother." He held out his hand.

"Yes." Loki shook it, with a grin.

By the time they got back to the hotel, there was a strange, dark, and arousing energy that was practically pouring out of him.

Perhaps that's why he felt compelled to reveal a side of him that was a little more … intense.

It was something that needed to be done. It was automatic that he had to return the favor she bestowed upon him at the party ... and as soon they tumbled into the bedroom, he was finally able to divest her of the blasted jumpsuit.

He zipped it down and slid it from her shoulders as she took off his suit jacket and started working at the buttons of his vest and shirt. It wasn't hurried, but reverent, like they were drinking in every tiny moment. He watched as she unbraided her hair, and let the waves fall loose around her shoulders and curves.

She slid out of her underwear as he removed his shirt, and took a moment to relish in the feeling of naked skin on naked skin, before he backed her up to the bed until she was lying on it. He then climbed over her, kissing down her body, and set his mouth between her legs. Perhaps one of these days he could experiment with his Jotun tongue … something to look forward to, he thought.

He had mentioned slow sweet torture to her before … for when they had more time, and tonight they had plenty of time. After he had her begging, sobbing, and squirming beneath him for more, her hands going back and forth between grabbing hold of his hair and grabbing hold of the sheets, he finally sat up and went to unbuckle his belt.

She came up on her elbows and watched hungrily.

Loki looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You like this belt, don't you."

She smiled slowly and nodded. "Yessir."

He slid his belt out of the loops in one sweeping motion and rolled it up in his hands. The sight hit her deep, low in the belly. Her nipples hardened, and she found herself holding her breath.

He looked at her with darkened eyes. If she didn't know him better, the look he was giving her would have scared her. She imagined he'd worn the same expression right before going into battle. Wild. Thirsty … except at the moment, he wasn't thirsty for blood. He was thirsty for release, but more than that, he was thirsty for possession.

"Get up on your knees and turn around," he commanded, darkly.

She got up deliberately slowly and complied, then waited for more direction … wondering if she was going to get spanked across the ass with that belt. The anticipation made her heart speed up.

"Grip the bed-post."

Darcy took a few breaths, then crawled unhurriedly on all fours, until she reached the bedpost at the head of the bed. She silently did as she was told.

He sat behind her for several moments, as she waited for the jarring sensation of the belt across her backside, and was excited by thought of it … so very excited. She rubbed her thighs together.

He saw this and came up behind her, stuck a knee between her legs, spreading them … so she couldn't do it anymore.

"I didn't tell you to do that," he said with dominating authority. He then ran his hands up her sides, over her shoulders and down her arms.

He silently and deftly took his belt, quickly wrapped it around her wrists, and secured them to the bedpost before she had much time to register what he was doing. _Damn his super-human reflexes!_

_Or not. This could be fun._

She tested how strong of a hold she was under, spreading her fingers and tugging on the belt … _nope, not going anywhere_.

After being restrained, Loki then took his time with her … running his hands over her back, up and down her sides, across her thighs, and driving her crazy … she wanted him to touch her in much more erotic places.

He knew exactly what he was doing, as he laughed his little evil laughs in her ear when she whimpered, as he would brush right past a breast, a nipple, or between her legs … but she refused to do anymore begging. If that was what he wanted, then she'd be strapped to the bed for quite a long time, her hands going tingly and numb, she didn't care.

She made sure to tilt her head back, brushing her long hair against his chest and arms … he wasn't the only one who could tease.

Finally, Darcy felt the bed move behind her, and she turned back slightly to see that he was taking off the rest of his clothes.

"Did I say you could turn around?"

She shrugged and went back to facing forward, smiling … deciding to toy with him just as much as he was toying with her.

"Be careful with me, Loki … it's my first time," she said with a low breathy laugh.

He came up behind her and finally reached around to grab her breasts, pinching her nipples, and she moaned. "Ohhhh … Loki."

He swept her hair over one shoulder, kissed the back of her neck, trailing down to her shoulder … and one of his hands came around to her belly and traveled down, starting to, _at last_, rub her slick flesh, that had ached almost like a bruise without his attention … but he didn't touch the exact spot she wanted. He made a strangled male sound as he found how wet she had become.

She could feel his erection right up against her backside, and then right up against her entrance. She tried to lean back into him, to help guide him inside … but he pulled back. He went to not touching her again … waiting.

Loki was going to draw this out. He was going to tease, and he was going to be wicked about it … _hmmmm. We'll see about that_.

Darcy turned her head back again, defying him.

"I did not say you could turn around," he said, intensity in his intoxicating voice.

She looked at him under her lashes and bit her lower lip, arching her back, and pushing out her bottom into a very wanton position. "I'm very sorry, forgive me … but I'm just so … _soaked_," she said in a sultry voice. "All for you," she whispered.

He growled and a dark shadow descended across his face.

He moved like a big cat, graceful and swift. He penetrated her in one fluid motion, both of them crying out. The angle was intense, and he filled her to the hilt ... it felt_ so good_ … _fucking finally_.

He held her hips and moved maddeningly slow at first. She tried to hold onto the bed-post in order to be able to ground herself and meet his pushes better, but her hands were tied in such a way that she couldn't, giving him most of the control._ Of course_.

"Loki," she moaned, like a plea.

"You know what I want you to say." He completely stilled, and she sobbed.

"Say ... it … Darcy." His voice held an edge to it.

She took a deep breath and rubbed against him.

"Put your _back_ into it! NOW," she growled.

"_MINX!_" he yelled, letting go, losing control. He tightened his grip on her hips, fingers digging into soft skin, and began fucking her hard, fast.

She might have been the one tied up … _but who actually had the control_?

Between the moaning she managed to say it, giving it to him, giving him what he wanted.

"P-pleeaase."

"YEEESSS!"

He fucked her even harder.

Because of the angle of their bodies, he was hitting her in a spot that was highly sensitive, and it began a sensation that was a bit out of the ordinary. It felt amazing, but in the past, she could never climax just from that particular stimulation. Loki knew exactly what he was doing though, and it seemed like that was his specific aim … and something was building. Something intense.

"I—will—have—you … come—undone …"

"Pleeease."

He then changed positions slightly as he pressed himself against her back and supported her weight more, pushing in deep and letting his hand come in front of her, expertly putting two fingers on the spot she'd been wanting him to touch for what seemed like hours. "Oh, God ... Loki."

"Come—for—me."

She could feel it build … something familiar and something new. She cried out. The stimulation was too much. She felt too exposed.

"Let—_go_."

And she felt it. There was a moment when she was trying to control her ascent, and then there was a moment when she completely let go and gave it over to him. It was a turning point in more ways than one.

"Let. Go. I've got you."

She moaned and let her head fall back on his shoulder as he held her and fucked her. Completely possessed her.

Almost. Almost …

A sudden force crashed into her and she came, crying out in shock at the intensity, the power, her cry continuing as the orgasm consumed her, flowing back again and again when she thought it would begin to ebb.

He felt her climax grip him hard, felt the warm gush around his cock that he was after, and then he came totally undone, right along with her.

"YESSSSS. GODS, YES."

He groaned as he spilled inside of her, panting into the back of her neck.

After regaining his senses somewhat, he gasped as he withdrew and quickly reached over to release her hands from his belt.

Darcy fell back completely into his arms, her body feeling totally boneless, totally relaxed. His demeanor had changed from one of dark lust to one of tenderness as he gently laid her down and held her in a spooning position, giving her neck soft kisses.

He embraced her tightly … and could tell that she was falling asleep. He'd be asleep in minutes as well, too relaxed and contented to care about the mess. Mind-blowing sex was always a messy business.

As he held her, he realized that she had completely given her trust to him, after tying her up like that. Trusted him enough to give herself over and let him have all the control. She wasn't afraid of the darkness inside of him. She was right by his side the whole time.

Loki nuzzled her neck and whispered into her ear.

"I love you."

The words stirred her from her half-sleeping state. She rolled over so that she was facing him, threw a leg over his hip, trying to get as close to him as possible.

"I love you, too."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

They woke up early to finally test out the huge tub … and to test out their new-found status as people who loved each other.

She rode him slowly, wanting it to last, the warm scented water moving gently around them. They looked at each other as if they didn't believe, couldn't believe how good this felt.

This time she said it first.

"I love you."

He made sure to look her in the eyes as he said it.

"I love you, too."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Darcy's forgotten phone vibrated several times on the floor, where it had fallen in the midst of the haze of the previous night.

There were many messages from Jane, but only Darcy would know who they were from, as they were from an unknown caller.

A caller with a brand-new pre-paid cellphone, bought for one specific purpose ... to be untraceable.

"_Overseas pharmacy, buy Viagra!_" the text message said.

If anyone read it, it would look like spam.

But it wasn't spam.

It was Jane/Darcy-code.

Code for "_the shit has hit the fucking fan_".

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

_AN: Boom. That's all I really have to say ... off to pour myself a glass of bourbon ;-)_


	26. Chapter 26

XXX

****~~::::::...::::::~~****

* * *

By the time the afternoon rolled around, Darcy and Loki still hadn't bothered putting clothes on since returning to the hotel the previous night. Truth be told, she was starting to feel a little spent. The whole lovemaking thing was rocking her world in a way that she was certain she'd never been rocked before, but at the end of the day, she was human … and Loki's endurance, not to mention his insatiable sex drive, was beginning to give her a little trouble in the whole walking department. She wondered if it was his reaction from not getting any in awhile, or if this was normal for him. She'd always thought she possessed a very healthy sex drive, but _damn_ … this was a whole other level. If this was how he was going to be for like, forever, she was going to have to start taking her yoga classes seriously and give her body some time to adjust.

Not that she was complaining … because _damn_.

And that whole Frost Giant thing … _damn_. She was not expecting it to be as hot as it was. Darcy had no idea how he could find his Jotun form so monstrous. Just those ridges … or sigils, as they were called in his file … they were sexier than dudes with tattoo sleeves, and they was pretty damn sexy.

She wished she could have paid more attention, but with the fuzziness of alcohol and magic, and the fact that their encounter was rushed and in some random room at a party, she wasn't able to drink him in like she wanted to. _Ha, double entendre_, she thought, and suppressed a smile.

Darcy hoped there would be another chance to really explore him in his blue state, and soon. Blue just didn't have the same prejudices on Earth. The color didn't really have _any_ prejudices for that matter, which didn't mean that if more blue people showed up there wouldn't be … but for now, blue people only existed in myth, cartoons, comics, and entertainment … and they usually were not evil, they were usually the opposite.

"You're unusually quiet."

"I'm just thinking …"

"What about?"

She didn't really want to say, but dating the God of Mischief and Lies meant that you couldn't really tell any lies. It all seemed very unfair … and automatically, there existed a level of honesty that she just wasn't used to with someone she was sleeping with. Not that she regularly told lies, but if Loki ever made her boeuf bourguignon (not that he ever would) and it was terrible (not that anything he made wouldn't be lovely), she wouldn't be able to be nice and tell him it was good. No harmless white lies allowed. There was a strange level of intimacy because of this, and it was a bit unnerving, but perhaps it was actually healthy. _Weird_.

She just wished they were a bit more evenly matched in that department, as she didn't have an inner lie-detector.

Darcy sighed, then decided to tell him exactly what was on her mind ... "I'm trying to think if we have any mythical evil blue people on Earth and/or Midgard, and I can't think of any."

Loki stiffened slightly. They were laying in a tangle of limbs on the bed, the covers long ago thrown on the floor. The chill he suddenly felt made him want to get up and retrieve them.

She felt him struggle a little and she reached up to twirl a lock of his hair around her finger to calm him, touching him, so he knew how she felt about him ... completely comfortable.

After he relaxed, she said, "it's kind of like this game I used to play with a guy from Mississippi I worked with. I'd tease him by trying to think of a movie that took place there and painted the state in a good light. Hell, even Alabama has _Sweet Home Alabama_. There's no "_Sweet Home Mississippi_". Only _Mississippi Burning_."

"Have you come up with anything?"

"_Biloxi Blues_ was the only one I could ever think of."

"No. About the other," he said quietly.

"Oh. Um … no. I really can't think of any. You've got the smurfs, the genie from _Aladdin_, Dr. Manhattan and Tobias, of course. Blue Man Group. You've got Mystique from X-Men, she's a villain, but she was actually kind of good in _X-Men: Origins_, or at least sympathetic. Usually blue people are like … whimsical. It might be one of the only colors that hasn't been used to demonize a group of people … it doesn't have racist undertones. Blue is … _fun_."

"Really," he said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Well … like with red … there's a huge controversy right now over the Washington Redskins. It's a football team. It's a horribly racist name and a lot of people want it changed."

"I'm not sure that I follow."

"'Redskin' is a derogatory term for a Native American, the indigenous people of this land … and saying that someone is 'yellow' is often racist towards Asians. And brown and black … don't even get me started on that one."

"Orange?"

"Yeah, that's derogatory towards people who have an addiction to tanning beds …"

"White?"

"Albinos and vampires."

"These are jokes."

"Yep."

"Your mind goes to so many peculiar places."

"So I've been told." She paused … "can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

Darcy decided that since she had to tell the truth all the time, so did he .. and she figured it was best to ask him potentially angering questions while he was naked.

"Why did you impersonate your father?"

Loki untangled himself from their embrace and turned onto his side to face her, propping himself up by the elbow.

"Shall we bare our souls today, darling?" He smirked.

Darcy assumed his same position, facing him, and shrugged. "Seems fair … I can't lie to you, and I hope you don't lie to me."

After a flash of hurt washed over his face, he reached up and touched her cheek. "Whether or not you believe me, know this … I'll never lie to you."

She nodded slowly. He had an inherent ability to detect lies … and she had a magical ability to detect danger. Perhaps they weren't so unevenly matched.

He let his hand fall from her face. "I took on my … my father's form … because he had fallen into the Odin-sleep and Thor didn't want the crown. The Nine Realms didn't need to fall into chaos again because Asgard had no ruler. Since, as Odin liked to remind me, it had been entirely my fault that the realms had become a mess to be cleaned up, by Thor no less … I decided to give the illusion of stability."

He then laid on his back and looked up at the canopy on the four-poster bed. "That, and I believed it would be in everyone's best interest if they thought me dead. It was a convenient arrangement."

That last part broke Darcy's heart a little bit, though Thor would have been spared a lot of anguish had he known Loki was alive. "So. You were trying to be helpful?"

His lips betrayed a half-smile. "In part. I also needed to prove something … even if it was just to myself."

"What was that?"

"That I could rule."

"Well … you did."

"No. What I mean is that, given the chance, a _real_ chance … I could be a better king than Odin … or Thor. It was, how do you call it ... a 'perfect storm' ... when I became king. My mind was in anguish when I was given Gungnir, all that power put into my hands ... and I was king, yet still, they looked upon me as if I wasn't worthy. It was as if they couldn't wait to betray me."

"Who?"

Loki closed his eyes. "The ones you call 'the cosplayers' ... and Heimdall."

"Hm. I remember them. Jane isn't a huge fan of Xena."

"Sif. She always said I was jealous of Thor ... but she was always in love with him, blinded by it."

"Must be a slap in the face for Thor to choose a mortal neurotic nerd, instead of an immortal warrior HBIC," Darcy grinned.

Loki gave a short laugh ... "I've never thought of it that way, but it is certainly satisfying."

"Around the office they're known as Xena, Robin Hood, Jackie Chan, and Viking Hagrid ... though me and Jane's very special nickname for Fandral is 'No Homo'.'

Loki tried to contain a laugh, but he couldn't. "Oh, Darcy, I do wish I had you ... then," he said, his eyes becoming wistful.

She reached over and drew circles on his stomach with her fingers. It crossed her mind that she actually _was_ present at the time ... almost getting ran over by his fire-breathing robot, but she didn't go there. "So you wanted a chance to be king when you weren't going through a psychotic break?"

He gave a short laugh and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I suppose you could say that."

"And what did you discover?"

"I found that I could easily slip into the role, and Asgard flourished … but it just wasn't as satisfying as I thought it would be. It was Odin that the people saw … it wasn't me."

"So … you, Loki, got none of the credit. _Your_ ass wasn't being kissed, _Odin's_ ass was being kissed."

"I found that it didn't appeal to me."

"Do you still want to rule?"

He reached for her and she snuggled close to him, resting her head on his chest. "Odin constantly said to me, as a boy, that I was born to be a king. At one point in my life, it's all I ever thought about. It was an idea that was put into my mind, and it spread, became almost like a cancer … but now … I'm not sure what it is that I want, in that respect."

Darcy smiled into his skin. "You're not going to try to take over anymore worlds, are you?"

Loki laughed and stroked her hair. "No. Remember, Jules said she'd kick my ass if I tried that again."

"Jules is good at that."

She then frowned … "you wouldn't like … _join up_ with anyone to take over anymore worlds, would you?"

"What are you going on about?"

"Hmmm." Darcy had been reminded of their little HYDRA problem the previous evening when Loki had asked whether or not she'd heard from Jane. She'd been debating whether or not to inform him of it ... but there were just so many threats … how could one keep track of them all?

"Darcy?"

She looked up at him. "Loki. I'm about to break protocol here … so …"

"What are you not telling me?" He sat up on his elbows.

"Well, there's the stuff that Clint, or rather, S.H.I.E.L.D. told me … and then there's the stuff that Ian told me, that I'm not really supposed to know. Like, seriously, he could get in trouble."

"And that is …" Loki didn't care about Ian getting into trouble.

"Okay. But I just want you to know that it's a violation of my oath as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to tell you these things."

"I understand, but I'll be able to protect you better if I know exactly what is going on, and there is obviously something else going on."

Darcy stifled a laugh. _Protect me better, he says_. Unlike some other girlfriends-of-gods that she knew of, she didn't need to be protected by anyone.

She took a deep breath. "Okay. Have you ever heard of HYDRA?"

"No. I have not."

"How much do you know of our history. You know, between the Vikings and now?"

"I know enough," he said dismissively, with a wave of the hand.

"World War II?"

"The Captain's war?"

"Right. HYDRA was at their peak then, partnered with the Nazis, bent on world domination … and it was headed by a guy named Johann Schmidt. Apparently he was pretty scary and gross … took the same kind of serum that turned Steve into a super-soldier, but it went wrong. Like, he turned into a red skull. His face melted off or something, I don't know the details. Anyway, Steve destroyed him, got the tesseract and buried it with him in ice for 70 years. You know the rest of that particular history, but HYDRA was supposed to be dismantled.

Loki nodded, slowly. "This Johann Schmidt possessed the tesseract … I've seen visions of him through it, though my recollections of that time are limited. But his fingerprints were all over it, so to say. He thought he was a god."

Darcy squinted up at him. "Huh. Is that what happens when you come into contact with that thing? Delusions of grandeur?"

He lay back down on his back. "To hold that much power. I can't put into words how intoxicating it is .. and yet terrifying in how it radically changes you, and how you don't care in the least.

"Well, I guess it's good that the tesseract is on Asgard then and not down here with HYDRA, because it seems as if Schmidt's organization has resurfaced. 'Cut off one limb and two more shall take its place' … or whatever. That's their official tag-line apparently. Anyway, they were caught infiltrating the ranks at MI6, where Ian works … and the guy you found in Bruce's lab … he was loyal to HYDRA. Fury didn't know if they had been infiltrating the ranks at S.H.I.E.L.D too, but it seemed likely given how easily the HYDRA lab guy slipped through the vetting process."

She began to absentmindedly draw circles on Loki's stomach again and went on. "So Fury left to oversee a huge project and make sure everything was okay. Cap left town on some mission connected to the whole thing, but I don't think he knew that. And Natasha was already there."

"And we left New York to make sure that I did not defect to the enemy of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Loki said quietly.

Darcy sat up and switched positions, climbing over him to straddle his hips, thinking it would be tougher for him to get angry that way.

She looked down at him, hands on his chest. "We left because it was an order. I'm sure that was a part of it … but Fury didn't want anyone finding out that you're alive, especially HYDRA. He knows there are threats outside of our world. He didn't want anyone on this planet, or any other, alarmed to the fact that you're still breathing … and perhaps bring about another alien invasion. From what you say, it sounds like we don't really want that Thanos dude paying a visit."

"Tell me, Darcy, were you worried that I would turn on S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

She didn't break eye contact with him. "It's what Clint was worried about, but I told him he was wrong. Do I think you'd turn on S.H.I.E.L.D., the organization? I don't know. But I don't think you'd turn on me … or your brother, not now. And I don't think you'd turn on Tony or Bruce either, strangely enough. It seems as if you've all developed a weird sciency respect for each other."

He faintly chuckled at that observation.

Darcy narrowed her eyes. "I mean, you _wouldn't_ turn on them … would you?"

Loki laughed. "Oh, dear sweet Darcy … as if I would let anyone else execute a plan for world domination. If I couldn't succeed, no one can."

Darcy rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Because of course that's why you wouldn't turn."

He was starting to get distracted with her sitting on top of him, naked, but he had a few more questions. "What were Fury's instructions?"

"To go to a place with no S.H.I.E.L.D. hub or official presence and stay low. I wanted to bring you to New Orleans anyway, to see what Miss Ramona could do for your magic … and it just kind of worked out. We were to hang tight and wait for instruction."

"Love … is there anything else you're not telling me?"

She raised her eyebrow at the new endearment. "Yes. When I was in the 4th grade, I shoplifted candy from Winn-Dixie and I felt really bad about it."

"Darcy."

She sighed dramatically. "I don't think so. There's just so much information from the past few weeks crammed into my brain and it's hard remembering all of it, and keeping it straight. Is there anything _you're_ not telling _me_?"

Loki ran his hands along her thighs. "If there's anything you want to know, simply ask."

"Well, same here … simply ask."

Loki narrowed his eyes. The mention of Bruce's lab reminded him of that day, which seemed like years ago, when Tony was trying to get a rise out of him.

"There is something I'd like to know."

"Sup?"

"What does 'DSL' mean?" It was something that had been bothering him … from the banter about Darcy between Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. '_That rack … those DSL_.' He knew what 'rack' meant, and was perturbed enough about that … but the other, he wasn't sure.

"Errr … in what kind of context?"

"There's more than one meaning?"

She laughed. "Um yeah. One means 'digital subscriber line', an ancient form of internet connection … and the other means … um, 'dick sucking lips'.

"Hn."

"Why?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that Bruce Banner is a dead man."

"You can't kill him, Loki. He's invincible. Have you met 'the other guy'?"

"I'll find a way."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

By the time late-afternoon came around, Darcy had convinced Loki to get out into the waning sunshine. She had the urge to get a touristy slice of pizza on Bourbon St. and have a seat in the Pat O'Brien's courtyard, while enjoying a bright red hurricane drink. She was noticeably content … and he was noticeably grouchy.

"What's your problem?"

He put on his indignant face. "I distinctly remember you saying that we could stay in bed all day. Emphasis on 'all'."

Darcy shrugged. "Weren't you hungry? I was starving."

Loki leaned forward slightly. "Oh yes, I am very hungry. And starving doesn't even begin to describe it. But there is no relief to be found in any of these establishments you keep dragging me to."

"Um. You're not talking about food … are you."

"No, love." He gave her a look that held so many emotions at once. It was mostly lust … also love, and a little bit of anger. If the desire written all over his face wasn't so damn hot, she'd think he was being downright bratty.

"Loki, I'm human, okay? You can go weeks without eating. I, on the other hand, can't … and I love food. It's one of life's pleasures. Believe me, you are pretty much the holy grail of my life's pleasures right now … but I can't go days without food. I barely ate anything yesterday … this mortal form requires sustenance! Ha." She remembered Thor's binge-eating habits, thinking she probably could've downed a whole pizza back there, if she'd let herself.

Loki wasn't sold on her excuse. "If I recall correctly, there seems to be a Midgardian practice known as 'room service'. I'm quite sure we could have been extremely creative with some of the options on the menu."

Darcy blushed and took a sip of her drink. "Oh, I'll be hungry again later." She licked her straw suggestively, teasing him.

Loki's expression went from conveying several different emotions to only one, and his normally bright eyes became very dark. Practically black. She suddenly realized that she was teasing a wild animal and could very well get bit.

"We're leaving. Now."

"Loki. Can we finish our drinks? We've got all day, all night … and all day and night tomorrow, and the next day. I want to enjoy the sunshine."

He picked up the drink he'd barely touched and took a rather large gulp, refusing to use the straw … as he thought it was a ridiculous utensil.

"Tell me," she said, "if I was ever to go with you to Asgard one of these days … would you want to show me around where you grew up? Show me your favorite places?"

It was actually something he thought of often, though he wasn't sure that Asgard could ever be called his "home" again.

"Of course," he said, "but only after at least a week of keeping you in my bed, only rising to explore other various pieces of furniture in my rooms, or retreating to the bath, cleansing every inch of your skin … only to get you very … _very_ dirty all over again. _Filthy_."

Darcy found she couldn't breath for a few seconds … who was this guy? Who said these kinds of things? Normally the lovey-dovey shit made her want to puke, run, tell a guy, most emphatically, that sorry, it's over … and it's not_ me_, it's _you_. But this was entirely different. Loki's proclamations of love and lust didn't make her want to run at all. He had a way with words, and what could have normally been cheesy, was downright sexy as fuck. His words made her veins burn with fire, her heart beat out of her chest, they made her goddamn vision blurry.

He could see her chest rising as she began taking involuntary deep breaths. _Good_. She had no idea what she did to him … and _finally_ taking her to bed had done absolutely nothing to quench his desire to take her, every waking hour of the day. Every sleeping hour as well. No, the desire had only increased ten-fold. A hundred-fold. He'd never encountered such a relationship. Such a union. It had turned him into a besotted fool, a rutting animal. It had turned him into someone who loved, and he'd not dared to love in so very long. And oh, did he love her. He_ felt_. She made him actually _feel_ … something other than darkness.

Darcy thought about Asgard and wondered what his rooms looked like … what his bath, as he called it, looked like. She figured it was more like a swimming pool than a bath, but he was a prince after all. She searched through her memories and thought of the images of his home that she'd seen … the ones that his mother had shown her. She remembered the things Frigga had told her.

She then wondered if her grandmother had told him anything quite as important.

"Loki … did my grandmother show you anything? Like, big?"

He was momentarily broken out of his relentless thoughts of her naked skin. He thought of Evelyn. Of Frigga. Was she ready to hear it? He didn't know. He didn't want anything to compromise their little space of happiness they'd managed to find in the universe.

He decided to turn the question around. "Did my mother show _you_ something?"

Since it had been a day of confiding, she figured … what the hell. No time like the present to be told you had three realms-worth of magic inside of you.

Darcy took a long sip of her drink. "Yeah. She didn't tell me how to get your magic back … but she did tell me …"

She heard a faint vibration … she thought maybe she was hearing things, but then remembered that she'd barely looked at her phone the past few days, only getting it out to take pictures of Halloween costumes. Sexy Iron Man, Lady Thor, Hipster Captain America (he was "The First Avenger", before it was cool) ... etc.

She reached down for her purse absentmindedly, still talking, grabbing for her phone. "Your mom said that since your magic was her magic …" She glanced down.

Darcy dropped the phone.

"Darcy?"

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

"_Viagra_." Darcy was walking very quickly to the nearest large gas station, where she figured they sold pre-paid phones … drinks, sunshine, and pizza, long forgotten.

"Pardon?" Loki was surprised at how fast she was moving.

"Viagra meant, like … something fell down and isn't getting back up."

"Darcy, what are you on about?"

"It's me and Jane's secret code. We use messages that look like spam. She just sent me a text from a pre-paid phone."

"How do you know it's Jane?"

"Because she says 'overseas pharmacy' … we came up with the code while we were overseas. That was the name of our code language … 'overseas pharmacy'."

"What else is in this language?"

"Every medication means something. Like … a blood pressure drug means that something blew up. Pain killers mean that someone is injured, but there's different levels. Like, Vicodin means that someone is hurt, but morphine means that someone has been mortally wounded." Darcy left out Risperdal, the first one they came up with, in honor of Loki himself … an antipsychotic, and it meant there was a psychopath on the loose.

"Why were you overseas with Jane?" He feared he already knew the answer.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. tricked us into going there, that one time you invaded New York."

Loki winced. "And that made you come up with this code?"

"Just in case something happened. Or if someone tried to trick us again … we needed something that no one else understood. Plus, we were bored. They lured us there for a job, and then there was no job, and we were stuck in a Norwegian lab for days with nothing to do. Coming up with a code killed a few hours."

They made it to a gas station on Rampart Street and she frantically opened the door, running straight to the aisle with phone accessories. Within minutes she was back outside, texting Jane.

"_Overseas pharmacy, buy birth control without prescription!_"

"What in The Nine does that mean?" Loki asked, looking over her shoulder.

"I'm just asking if it's safe to call."

The phone immediately started to ring.

"Jane?"

"Darcy!"

"Jane, what's happened?"

"Darcy! Oh my god, Darcy, it's Fury! Someone shot Fury last night … and he ... he didn't make it." Jane's voice wavered, as if she was fighting not to cry. "I was texting to tell you … but then they had me in the interrogation room for the past three hours, asking about Steve and if I've heard from him … and if I've heard from you."

Darcy didn't have the capacity just then to process the fact that Fury was dead, she could only worry about Jane. "Have you been followed? Are you bugged? Are they listening to you right now?"

Jane was frantic. "No! No … Thor pretty much beat everyone up, broke me out, and took me back to Stark Tower, which Tony has on lock-down."

"Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck _fuck_. Why are they looking for Steve?"

"I don't know, Darcy. They think he knows something and he's disappeared, pretty dramatically I might add! And they're interrogating everyone who is close to him. They're looking for you. Does anyone know where you are?"

Only Fury and Clint.

_Fury_. Fuck. Fury was dead.

She was about to lose it outside of a gas station on Rampart Street, among the crack-heads and gutter-punks.

Loki held onto Darcy's arms, as she started to shake uncontrollably.

"Only Clint knows."

Jane sighed in relief. "Okay. Don't tell me where you are, not yet. But are you safe? Can they track your phone records or your credit card transactions?"

"I've made sure that my phone is untraceable, and I haven't used any of my cards."

"Have you taken cash out of anywhere?"

She thought for a second. Darcy hadn't paid for anything since she'd gotten to New Orleans. Scott never made her pay for a hotel room, and either someone had gotten her drinks or they were free.

"No. I've made sure to be untraceable. And Loki hasn't used anything either … I don't think he's even had his phone turned on the entire time we've been here."

Darcy hurried through her purse and instantly turned her phone off, just in case. Tears started welling up in her eyes.

"What about Natasha?"

"They're wondering about her too, S.H.I.E.L.D. thinks she's working with Steve. That's another reason why they want to talk to you … you're her protegé."

Darcy took a second to focus on her tattoo and found that the spidey-sense was there. It was vibrating softly, but it was there.

"Jane. They're not S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore," her voice was quiet.

"I know."

Darcy needed a different line of thinking. "Okay, so you're with Thor and Tony? Where's Clint?"

"Clint's gone. No one knows where he is, but they're not looking for him ... at least, they didn't ask about him."

"What about Bruce?"

"He's here. Him and Tony think all of this has to do with one of the projects they were working on. So far, they've kept the vultures away, mainly because S.H.I.E.L.D. is afraid of Bruce. And with Fury being dead, they're afraid of Thor too. It's best that we stay together here in Stark Tower for now … we can always disappear later if we need to."

"And no one asked about Loki when you were being interrogated?"

"No. They were only interested in Steve and Natasha, but mostly Steve."

"They must not know about him … either that, or they just don't care at the moment. If their whole focus is on Steve, he must have something on them and they must know it … but he's a bad liar … Jane ..."

"He'll be okay. He's with the _best_ liar."

Darcy closed her eyes, it was finally beginning to sink in. "What happened to Fury?"

"He was shot. Several times."

"Who shot him?"

"From what Tony could find, it was some kind of surgically-modified super-assassin. Probably foreign. But he's not saying more than that … and Thor is starting to get very upset." Darcy could hear Thor in the background.

She could tell that he was about two seconds away from grabbing the phone and demanding to know where Loki was. "Jane. I'm going to go for now … I'm going to talk to Loki."

"Okay Darcy, be safe. Stay out of sight. The pharmacy opens again in eight hours."

She hung up the phone and turned it off.

"Alright, Loki. You're getting your wish. We're going back to the hotel room and we're staying there."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

When Loki suggested going back to the room, this was not what he had in mind. Darcy instantly opened her laptop and started obsessing over every bit of information she could find and wouldn't budge, eyes only on the screen. It was either that, or she was up pacing around and worrying about Steve Rogers. Crying about Steve Rogers. Wondering if Steve Rogers would somehow come out of the situation unscathed.

He didn't want to lie and tell her that the captain would be just fine … because she had been right when she'd told Jane that the captain was a bad liar. Loki had thought the same thing himself … and that it would eventually lead to his downfall.

"Darling, should you be on that computer if you are being searched for?"

She didn't look up from the screen. "I wouldn't be a very good hacker if I couldn't make myself untraceable."

"But perhaps you should take a break. We could order room service."

She finally looked up, but glared. "Loki, Fury is _dead_. Steve is missing … and according to what I'm reading, he's being labeled as some kind of traitor, a fugitive. That's _fucking_ ridiculous. He's Captain _Fucking_ America."

"Darcy."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is _fucked_."

He put a hand on her shoulder.

"And I can't seem to get ahold of Ian. He's not responding to any of my messages."

Loki was tired of hearing about the captain, and he certainly didn't want to hear about Ian.

"Should you be trying to contact him?"

"It's all in code, Loki."

"You have a secret code with him, too?"

She shrugged his hand away from her shoulder. "It's the same code I have with Jane, we taught it to him … and we taught it to Steve."

"Of course you did."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Loki shook his head, backing away. "It means nothing. I just think that you should stop to breathe. They will contact you when they can. We just need to stay out of sight."

Darcy stood up from the antique writing desk she was sitting at. "Don't you understand, that if they find him, they're gonna _kill him_? I can't just sit here! But I can't go anywhere! I'm completely useless. I wish there was something I could do … what can I do …" It was almost as if she was saying it to herself, and not to him.

He tried to give her a reassuring look. "There is nothing you can do at the moment, but keep yourself safe."

"Aren't you worried about your brother?"

Now she was just being ridiculous. "Darcy, Thor can take care of himself … certainly against a handful of misfit S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and so can Steve Rogers."

She resumed her pacing. "Jane mentioned that Tony thought this might have something to do with a project y'all were working on. Do you have any idea what that's about? Anything in Washington D.C.?"

"I helped them with their work, lending my expertise, telling them what I know about magic and how it's completely scientific, only undiscovered … but do you really think they would share such classified information with me?"

"No. But I also don't think you came away not knowing anything about it, Mr. _God of Mischief_," she accused.

This was not what Loki wanted to think about. Actually, he didn't want to think at all. But it didn't look as if they would be doing what he wanted.

He sighed and decided to answer her question. "Very well. There were several projects. One was a new iron suit, one that could subdue Dr. Banner's alter-ego if need be. That was a part of our studies in gamma radiation, and something I helped them with immensely … which initially, is why they warmed up to me … I gave both of them boons in their research and all of a sudden, it was as if I'd joined some sort of wise-cracking inventors club."

It was strange admitting to himself that he'd actually liked being a part of that rather-ridiculous club.

He went on … "another project, which was based in another city, was primarily Stark's. He was helping to upgrade engines to three technologically advanced helicarriers … much like the one where I was lucky enough to be received as a guest. Apparently Stark had a good look at the turbines during that time, and had ideas on how to improve them."

"Helicarriers? So?"

Loki was hesitant to say, as he wasn't supposed to know … and after Stark had found out about the helicarriers "special features", he was adamantly against it, practically throwing a fit in the lab.

"They were to be linked to your satellites, to spy on the public. They could then preemptively eliminate ... threats."

Darcy stared, wide-eyed. "Dude. That's … _fucked up_. That kind of invasion of privacy can't even be legal. The fuck was S.H.I.E.L.D. thinking? If HYDRA gets ahold of those, they could just kill anyone they wanted."

She was pacing in circles. "What can I do down here?"

"Darcy. There is nothing you can do. You must wait, and put it in the hands of the people who are trained to fight such things."

She suddenly stopped pacing and turned to face him, glaring at him.

"Would you even help? If you had your powers back?"

He thought very carefully about what he was about to say, as he could tell that they were gearing up towards quite a fight.

"Like I told you, if I couldn't win … certainly some silly sea-creature organization can't win. And if you were ever under threat, I would do everything in my power to keep you safe. _Everything_. Anything. I wouldn't think twice."

He walked over and took her face in his hands. "It wasn't drunkenness or the pleasures of the flesh that compelled me to say that I loved you, though that was magnificent. No, I said it because it's the truth. I do not lie to you. I will never lie to you. No matter what others may say of me, I will never lie to you. I love you beyond reason, and I will do anything to protect you."

_I will never again allow myself to be compromised so that I cannot protect those that I love_, he thought.

"Oh, Loki." Tears spilled down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry … I'm being shitty. I'm just so worried about everyone."

She wrapped her arms around his torso and he held her tight, rocking her gently. The default self-loathing inside of him wondered if she would react the same way if he was in trouble like the captain was. He shook his head of the thought.

"Darcy. For someone who likes to worry and go on about whether or not she's as unfeeling as her mother … you certainly do care a lot for other people. In fact, I've never seen someone who cares so much for their friends. They are indeed blessed by Vahalla to have you."

She cried even harder. "But I can't do anything for them."

"Of course you can. You can help them by not doing anything rash and getting yourself into trouble as well. Also, you are helping by not being in New York to be interrogated about Steve Rogers, and perhaps unintentionally lending some kind of information to be used against him, no matter how trivial."

He sighed … _do I even matter?_ "And might I add, that by being here, you are helping me to hold onto my freedom, away from this HYDRA, and for the moment, away from … Thanos."

She nodded and looked up. "Yes. I'm so sorry. I'd never compromise our secrecy here and put you in danger. _You_ are my number one priority. I love you too, ya know." She buried her face into his chest. "And you're right. We have to stay safe … I'm being stupid."

"No, my darling, never stupid. You are just distraught because you care so very much. Please … let me distract you and care for you."

It unfortunately wasn't a sexual distraction, but eventually she calmed down enough for Loki to coax her onto the couch, where they watched a movie. A movie, she theorized, that could be found on one channel or another, every day of the year. A movie she knew every line to, of course. Loki was becoming very familiar with movies that she knew by heart, as there were many. She called this one _Coming to America_, which funnily enough, contained a line he'd just heard that very morning in the bath … "_The royal penis is clean, Your Highness_."

She erupted into uncontrollable laughter after it was said. It was her first laugh in hours, one of those unrestrained belly-laughs that sent her into waves of giggles. Those kinds of laughs were his favorite.

Loki began to wonder just how many of the things she said to him, were from one of her beloved films. How many of her lines went right over his head. He hoped he could eventually learn them all, and begin to be privy to the myriad of secret jokes she shared with her friends.

He liked this particular one, much better than her alien movies and space operas. It was a funny, unpretentious movie …

Where a prince came to New York to find his queen.

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

_AN: I know I brought up Mystique from X-Men like it was fiction, but since they can never show up in the MCU because of studio rights, I decided to make them fiction here, even though they are Marvel._

_Also, if you haven't seen Coming to America, get thee to your Netflix account immediately! I actually watched it the other day on TV and thought that King Jaffe Joffer was totally Odin, just you know, African. And Prince Akeem's mom? Totally Frigga.  
_


	27. Chapter 27

XXX

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

_Everything had been so crazy and confusing, so she did a thing she rarely did. She had gone to sleep with the intention of dreaming of her friend ... and when Darcy opened her eyes, she saw the crepe myrtles again. The trees were swaying in the warm breeze, the flowers blooming. Everything here was always blooming, always at the peak of beauty. The moon and stars were impossibly white and bright, and the night sky was almost lit up by them, the sky a brilliant dark blue instead of black._

_She was sitting up, cross-legged._

_"Don't worry. Everything is as it should be." Ivy was sitting in the same position, facing her._

_"How can you say that?"_

_"Everything is always as it should be."_

_"Cut out the new-age bullshit," Darcy said with a grin._

_She laughed. "I'm just saying, don't lose hope, Darcy."_

_"I won't. I know Steve and Natasha will be okay."_

_Ivy lost her smile and became unusually serious. "No matter what happens."_

_"Do you know what will happen to them?"_

_"No. I can only see potential. There are always an infinite number of possibilities."_

_Darcy rolled her eyes at her ghost/angel-friend. "For once I'd like a straight answer out of you non-physical beings."_

_Ivy gave her a knowing smile. "You love him."_

_"I do."_

_She nodded. "Then do not doubt that," … she took Darcy's hand and it sent tingles up her arm. "You're so close, Darcy … and yet, it's still so fragile. Don't let it break just because you're scared and unfamiliar with the territory."_

_"What am I so unfamiliar with?"_

_"It's okay to love him … but it's also okay to let him love you."_

_"Am I not letting him? I thought I was letting him love me thoroughly, and often."_

_She laughed. "No, not that. You and him are something much more than that."_

_"Are we?"_

_"He is your heart-song."_

_"My _what_?"_

_"When your heart beats with another's rhythm … love is a living, breathing thing ... and it can create the miraculous."_

_"That sounds … "_

_"Lovey-dovey? Puke-inducing?"_

_Darcy shrugged. "I was gonna say perfect." For once, she didn't feel the need to stick her finger down her throat at the mention of ooey gooey gushy love._

_"Do not doubt it." Ivy reached up and touched her cheek, sending the other-worldly tingles over her face. She looked a bit sad. "Tell Jules … that a circle will not break."_

_She then looked at Darcy quite intensely … "and tell Scott to aim low, because he's so very tall. I got him."_

Darcy's eyes flew open and she shot straight up in bed.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Vivid dreams tended to take a lot out of Darcy, so after waking up, and being calmed down by Loki, she slept for another several hours, cocooned in his arms.

After getting out of bed, she took a nice hour-long shower. She contemplated the meaning of life and the universe, as one usually does in-between shampooing your hair and shaving your legs ... sans Loki, because she needed to think and he tended to distract her.

_Heart-song? A circle will not break? Aim low?_

_What the hell?_

There had been a constant low hum on her abdomen since hearing the news about Fury being shot, and she wasn't sure what to make of it. Was it just general danger? Was something coming? No amount of pondering gave her any answers, so after her fingers became pruny, she called the shower quits and got dressed.

After a quick check of her messages (code or otherwise), Darcy left Loki to the book he was reading, and went downstairs to see if Scott was working, as she didn't want to turn her phone on to call him.

She found him in the courtyard by the heated pool, reading his iPad in a lounge chair. He looked endearingly precious with his legs crossed like a dapper gentleman and his hair effortlessly doing a swoopy boy-band thing. Darcy wondered how long it took him to do that in the morning.

"Relaxing on the job?"

He looked up and flashed his crooked smile, though he seemed a bit distracted. "Lookin' a wee bit saddle sore, little lady. Coming up for air, are we?"

Darcy blushed. "You're perverted."

"You're dick-matized."

She gasped, "I totally am not!"

Scott raised an eyebrow and smirked, looking her up and down. "I'm certainly not judging, honey ... have you met me? I don't blame you in the least ... in fact, I don't understand why you're down here with me, when you could be anywhere else with the guy who literally rips clothing off of your body—I saw your bikini-top in the recycling bin at that party, so don't you dare deny it." He waved a finger at her.

Darcy shook her head in embarrassment. "You saw that? Whatever, nevermind, doesn't matter. ANYWAY. I need to tell you something … well, a few things, actually. And I know how this is gonna sound, but Ivy talked to me in a dream, and she told me to tell you something."

He frowned and sat up straight, forgetting his teasing. "What's that?"

"She said, and I quote, '_and tell Scott to aim low, because he's so very tall. I got him_.' She also said for me to tell Jules '_that a circle will not break'_."

He sat back, perplexed. "Huh." He shook his head. "Okay, what's the other thing you want to tell me?"

Darcy sat in a chair next to him. "I know I don't really need to tell you this, but for realz … don't let anyone know I'm here. Not even my dad. Shit has hit the fan, if you catch my drift."

He nodded. "You mean the explosions that are going down in D.C.?" Scott held up his tablet, showing a live feed he'd been watching of some serious shit going down.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Scott and Darcy burst through the hotel room door and immediately turned the channel to CNN, to watch what was happening in Washington D.C.

"I can't believe I'm only now just hearing about this. I can't believe I slept in." She was frantic and began to pace about the room. Loki took a break from his reading and warily took a spot on the couch with Darcy's friend.

Scott didn't lose his teasing nature, even though they were in the middle of a crisis. "You haven't been answering your phone, darlin' … we figured you were super busy doing something or other." He gave Loki a wink.

Darcy wasn't having jokes, however. She turned to Loki … "how could you let me sleep the morning and afternoon away?"

He proceeded carefully. "You needed your rest, and none of your messages had alerted you to this … turn of events."

She gave a short harsh laugh and sat at the table to become engrossed with her laptop again.

All the panic from the previous day returned. They watched an endless news-cycle in a hotel room, with the news anchors saying the same exact things over and over. It was all reminding her of Katrina, which added to the tension, and made her even more distraught. It added to her sense of doom along with the gradual increase in the vibration of her tattoo.

And the fact that she'd been holed up in a love-nest with Loki, drinking hurricanes and enjoying the pleasures that her city and new lover had to offer, while her friends in New York and D.C. had to deal with the fallout of the HYDRA coup, began to weigh heavily on her conscience. Scott's words rang true ... she had been dick-matized. She had lost sight of the mission.

The three helicarriers that Fury and Stark had worked so hard on, had been destroyed … which was probably for the best, but only a handful of people knew that. The Tricksilon had been pretty much destroyed. And Steve was M.I.A. Captain America's fate was unknown.

From what she could gather from Jane, after finally getting ahold of her, Cap had fallen into the Potomac River and never got back out. But he was a super soldier … he had survived worse.

After a while, Darcy closed her laptop and stood motionless in front of the TV, watching the exploding helicarriers break apart into the river, over and over again. She wondered how anyone could survive it.

Scott, who had stayed with her, knowing how their past experiences must have added to the graveness of the situation, took her hand and held it.

"O Captain, my Captain," she said quietly.

He gave her fingers a good squeeze.

Loki began to feel helpless, unable to figure out what to say to comfort her, seeing that Scott was doing a much better job of it … and he was becoming very tired of hearing about O Captain.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

The next few days were a blur. Just like years ago with the storm, Darcy kept her eyes glued to the news and to her laptop. Loki tried to get her to eat things and reminded her to sleep, but he was only successful at it less than half of the time.

Every eight hours she would turn her pre-paid phone on and either message Jane or talk to her very quickly. She was still holed up in Stark Tower and would only talk when she could get a minute or two away from Thor, who was becoming more and more adamant about knowing where Loki and Darcy were. His mind was eased temporarily when Darcy put Loki on the phone, and they briefly spoke in a foreign tongue, causing her to wonder what was being said.

"What's going on? What were you speaking?" It was the first time she'd been interested in what he had to say all day.

Loki gave her a long look. "An ancient tongue that no one on this realm would understand. Thor didn't want to alarm anyone who might be listening … mainly Jane, apparently she's been in hysterics."

"What's wrong, Loki?"

He sighed … he really didn't want to give her anymore bad news. She had dark circles under her eyes and had all but lost the spark in her spirit. She'd been walking around like a ghost, completely devoid of her usual sarcastic and saucy personality, speaking of nothing else but the S.H.I.E.L.D/HYDRA disaster. They hadn't made love in days, and their conversation had become strained.

Loki started with the semi-good news. "The captain is still missing, but they haven't recovered a body, so Thor, Tony Stark, and Bruce Banner are confident that he's alive, somewhere."

"Unfortunately, one of Coulson's men turned out to be a traitor. He's been seen on camera with his superior officer, releasing inmates from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most secured prisons, and stealing various weapons and relics. A place called The Fridge was emptied … as well as …"

"Ryker Island?"

"Yes."

Darcy had to sit down. Things were starting to get dark and fuzzy around the edges.

She wasn't sure things could get any worse. Fury was dead. Jane was stuck in New York City with Thor, Tony, and Bruce … Clint was nowhere to be found, and Steve was possibly dead. Natasha was in serious trouble, as she'd released so many documents that she put Edward Snowden and Julian Assange to shame ... and S.H.I.E.L.D. had been labeled a terrorist organization, while merely being an agent now seemed to be an arrestable offense. She couldn't get ahold of Ian … and now every American prisoner who seemed to be under Thanos' spell was now walking the streets, including the one she'd visited. Dominikos Petrakis. Who had gone into a fit because he was sure that Darcy knew who "The Great Failure" was.

For the first time in days, Darcy reached out for him. "Loki, I know we haven't been leaving the hotel, but seriously … we really can't leave. With all those prisoners being released and walking around … one of them could find you."

He took her hand. "I'm not planning on going anywhere, Love … but my concern is with you at the moment."

"Don't be. Other people are far worse off than me right now."

"I am not concerned with them," he said cooly.

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't you care about anyone or anything? People's lives are at stake. Fury is dead. Steve could be dead. S.H.I.E.L.D. is pretty much dead … it means _nothing_ anymore. I'm not an agent anymore. I'm _nothing_. I don't even know what I'm supposed to be doing."

"You are _not_ nothing. This self-pity is beneath you, Darcy. And what you are supposed to be doing is keeping out of sight and staying calm."

She shook her head. "When I got here, I was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. … I wasn't an assistant, or an intern, I was my own person … I had a mission. Now? What am I?"

Loki inclined his head sharply. "Is that only what it was … I was a mission?"

She frowned. "No, of course not. You're twisting my words."

He stood, his pent-up irritations unfortunately beginning to get the better of him. "Forgive me, my love … but you've been twisting my words for days now. When I suggest that you calm down, eat, drink … sleep … I'm accused of not caring ... even though I am trying my best at caring for you. All you seem to care about is Steve Rodgers, and that Ian is not returning your messages."

Darcy stood up and glared. "I'm worried about them!"

Something in him snapped. "Yes. So worried about _O, Captain, my Captain._" His voice was filled with a venom that she'd almost forgotten had ever been associated with him.

"Wait .. huh?! You're pissed that I said '_O, Captain, my Captain_'? It's from a fucking movie that we watched! It's from a poem!"

Loki glared back at her. "Of course it was from a movie … everything out of your mouth is from some blasted movie. Everything is in some hidden code, some secret Midgardian language. Is everything you have ever said to me, from one of your films or books or poems? Is nothing you've said from your own mind?"

Darcy was shocked. "Excuse me?" Tears were beginning to show themselves.

Loki tried to calm himself down, to stop the epic fight that was currently happening, but the past few days of frustration was coming to a head. "I am tired of hearing about Steve Rogers. Tired of hearing about your Ian," he said softly, yet with tension.

"Why? Because I dated Ian for a few weeks? Who the fuck cares! I thought I made it clear that I don't feel that way about him … but he never stopped being my friend. I never stopped caring about him. And Steve. Steve is a _friend!_ He's like my grandpa, only he looks 30!"

"Hn." Loki looked away and started pacing around. _Never stopped caring about him_ …

"It seems as if you care about many men. Did you court all of them for a few weeks too? It seems as if in every drinking establishment we've been to in this city, there's a tavern boy who is very happy to see you, offering you drinks, gratis." The words were just tumbling out of his mouth, as if he had no control over them.

Darcy stood, floored. "What are you implying? Asshole! I worked in restaurants down here ... everyone in the service industry … cooks, bartenders, we all know each other! Or we all know someone who knows someone, and that's one of the perks of the industry ... free shit! You honestly think I fucked every single dude I've said hello to? Is that what you think of me?"

She walked up to him and got in his face … "and I may have dated a few guys, but it shouldn't matter. I'm with _you_. I love _you_. And do you mean to stand there and tell me that if I went to Asgard, there wouldn't be any women giving me the side-eye? There wouldn't be any former girlfriends or playthings walking around that you had a thousand years to fuck? You had to get your skill from somewhere!"

Loki took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes. If he didn't stop, he'd say something he'd not be able to unsay. "Forgive me, Darcy."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I think we both need some fresh air, even though we cannot leave. We've been pacing in this room for days."

She nodded. "I know."

Darcy reached over and touched his cheek. "I'm sorry too, Loki. I know I've been hard to be around … I'll try to reign it in … I just feel like everything is falling apart." She shrugged … "everything_ is_ falling apart, but that doesn't mean that _we_ have to fall apart too."

He took her by the shoulders, needing to touch her, as his lack of contact with her over the past few days had left him feeling half-starved. "Let us go get something to eat. Take a turn about the building, shall we?"

She smiled. "Yes. And then we can come back here and we can … reconnect."

His face softened as tension faded away that he hadn't even realized was there.

_Reconnect_. It was the best thing he'd heard in days.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

After dinner in the small hotel restaurant, Darcy began to walk up the elaborate stairs in the lobby, instead of taking the elevator. As her hand ran up the antebellum wooden bannister, smoothed over with age, she was reminded that she was in New Orleans, "City of Misrule" … with a "Lord of Misrule" … and that everything would get better. Ivy had told her to hold onto hope.

It was a stupid thing to think.

Loki had stayed behind to order some drinks to be sent up to the room, along with dessert … as they had planned to get creative with some chocolate mousse, whipped cream, and the like. He was standing at the front desk, chatting with Scott … who felt it at exactly the same moment Darcy did.

The vibration in her lower stomach spiked, and she turned to looked down, watching everything unfold in slow motion.

"LOKI!"

Behind him, Dominikos Petrakis, the prisoner she'd met from Ryker Island, had walked through the main doors … though Loki wasn't who he was after. His dark eyes were totally focused on Darcy.

_How did he find me?_ she thought.

"_You have an energy about you … I'll always be able to feel it now_," he had said.

She remembered, Petrakis had the ability to manipulate energy, and he must have been able to sense hers. She had been his only visitor in years, the only person he'd touched in years … and he had been completely fixated on finding her since HYDRA had released him from prison.

The room began to vibrate as if there was a small earthquake.

From behind the desk, Scott saw what was happening and ran to the other side where Loki was standing, confused and distracted. He was busy looking over his shoulder at the warning Darcy had just screamed.

Petrakis, who had been staring at Darcy, and who had been concentrating only on her and finding her for the past few days, looked to the person she was focused on.

As soon as his eyes locked onto Loki's, the internal spell was activated. Warmth and sweet relief washed through his body. His very cells knew exactly who the man was.

The Great Failure.

_Finally_.

Petrakis closed his eyes as the dark foreign energy that had infected him, started to flow towards Loki.

He would finally be able to rest. Finally be able to sleep.

Loki, powerless, could only watch it happen. He tried to run, to duck behind something, but he was held firmly in place by the activated spell. He couldn't move, and he watched in horror as the dark magic traveled towards him.

It was then that Scott stepped in front of Loki, ducking … aiming low, as Petrakis was quite a bit shorter than him. The magic flowing out from the prisoner's solar plexus hit Scott directly in the chest, his green heart energy and magic deflecting the spell, his tattoo reflecting Thanos' dark magic right back onto Petrakis.

They all watched as the prisoner completely vanished, taken to the place where Loki was supposed to have been sent. Somewhere in some far off dark realm, in some far off dark galaxy.

Darcy and Loki stood in shock for several seconds, wondering what in the world had just happened … as Scott collapsed onto the floor.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Scott had been in the ER all evening, unresponsive, the doctors thinking he'd had some kind of stroke or aneurysm. Darcy was sitting in Loki's lap in the waiting room, her head buried in his neck as she shook uncontrollably. After a while, she'd cried every possible tear. He held her and tried his best to whisper reassurances, but after nothing seemed to work, he began telling old tales in his mother's ancient first-language, as it was the only thing that seemed to calm her down, the sound of his voice soothing her.

He recited the tales to calm himself down as well. Thanos had been one second away from grabbing ahold of him, making good on the promise to "make him long for something as sweet as pain." He had been one second away from the kind of torture that Midgardians could never even dream up to use on one another in a million years.

Loki owed the boy lying lifeless in the next room everything … why had he done such a thing? He was nothing to Scott. He'd only known him for a few days … why would he risk his life, and quite possibly _give_ his life ... for someone like him?

Jules and Miss Ramona rushed in, knowing that the hospital could do nothing for him, but a few of the hotel patrons called 911, having walked in the lobby after everything went down and saw Scott collapsed on the floor. They were all waiting to be able to see him, so they could do their own work to help him.

Scott's parents were constantly traveling and were not in town, though like Darcy, Miss Ramona had been his "in case of emergency" person for years.

When the doctor finally came into the waiting room to talk to them, he didn't have very good news. "You can visit with him now, but I must warn you, there is no brain activity. He won't be waking up. His parents and relatives really need to be notified, and you should prepare yourself." The hospital only planned to keep him on life-support until his parents got there.

They all walked into the room where he was being kept. Scott lay lifeless on a hospital bed, various tubes and wires hooked up to him, lots of things giving off a steady beep. The curtain that the doctors used to shield him while they did their work was pulled open for the visitors … but Darcy could only pay attention to his hair … it had lost its swoopy thing that he made it do, and he wouldn't have liked that.

Jules, Darcy, and Loki looked on as Miss Ramona began to examine Scott, chanting softly over him.

She looked up, the brightness of her irises fading. "The only thing keeping him alive right now is his tattoo."

The priestess walked to the other side of the bed and put her hands over his heart. "The dark spell drained all of his life-force … I'm trying to breathe it back into him, but there is a hinderance here. It's something that Earth magic cannot undo. It's alien."

"Can we summon Eshu?" Jules asked. "They share the same energy."

"We can try."

Loki watched as Darcy, Jules, and Miss Ramona held hands and asked for Eshu to hear them.

It didn't take him long to appear in the doorway, dressed in scrubs for good measure. Jules ran to him and threw her arms around his neck … he looked across the room and shared a look with his brother in mischief. They both nodded as they knew this wouldn't turn out the way that Darcy and Jules hoped.

Eshu tried the same Earth magic as Ramona, to remove the darkness. He shook his head. "I've done what I can … the energy keeping him at bay is alien. It's unknown to me. It's demon magic. It won't even let me share my energy with him, which is unprecedented since the same kind flows through both of us."

Jules and Darcy stared in disbelief. They'd never known Eshu to be unable to help someone, even when he'd helped them pass beyond the crossroads, even when they'd died, Eshu was still able to offer comfort. This time, Eshu couldn't offer anything.

"I could help him. If I had my powers," Loki said softly. "I have the same energy as you as well … but I am also familiar with the alien magic. I spent quite a bit of time surrounded by Thanos' darkness. I could dissolve it." This boy had saved him, and he had no idea why.

Darcy spoke up from where she stood, stroking Scott's hair. "Then get them back. _Now_." She had been eerily silent, not saying anything up until this point.

"Darcy." Loki had never seen such intensity in her eyes.

"Go ahead. Get your powers back … _anytime now_," she said quietly, but with an edge in her voice. "Get them back. _Now_." She couldn't lose anymore friends. They were her family, all she had, the only ones who had loved her. They were a part of her ... she couldn't lose another part of herself.

"Love. It doesn't work like that."

She stalked towards him. "I don't care how it works. Just get them back."

Loki shook his head, helpless.

She stood in front of him and pushed him in the chest. "Get them back, _now!_" her voice now raised.

She pushed him again. "BE GOOD! JUST BE GOOD!"

"Darcy." He tried to take her in his arms, but she slapped them away.

"Darcy, sweetie," Miss Ramona became alarmed at the feral look in her eyes.

"NO! He's gonna be good now, aren't you, Loki …" She stared him down, her breathing ragged. "He's gonna help Scott."

Jules knew the look in Darcy's eyes … and no good would come of being in the same room with her at the moment. She just needed to have her fit, and people needed to get out of the way. She needed to be left alone for a little while. Jules ushered Miss Ramona and Eshu out of the room. But just like weeks before, when Darcy's mom had called and she needed to be left alone for awhile, Loki wouldn't budge then, and he wouldn't budge now.

Darcy looked up at the ceiling, apparently shouting at Odin, Heimdall, whoever ... "He's gonna be good now!"

She looked back at Loki. "RIGHT? BE GOOD! How hard is it? JUST BE GOOD!"

When nothing happened, she looked back up .. "YOU SICK FUCK! Can't you see that he's _good_?!"

Darcy looked at him again through narrowed eyes … "unless … unless this is all a ruse. Some convoluted labyrinthine plan, God of Mischief and _Lies_."

Loki felt as if fire was creeping up his neck. "Darcy. Don't, please."

She shoved at him again. "Is this why you give a shit about me? Magic? All you care about is magic. I've been able to get you to do anything just by saying the word … '_magic_.' You've been lying to me from the start, haven't you. You thought I was a peasant … you thought I was _nothing_. And as soon as you found out about my tattoo … as soon as you felt my magic, that's when you made your play ... that's when you kissed me. Is that why you wanted to fuck me too? Keep me _dick-matized_? Because you knew of my ties to magic? You thought I could help you get yours back?"

"_NO_! Darcy, of course not … please do not do this." Loki stood, shocked. He actually felt tears stinging at his eyes.

"THEN GET IT BACK, NOW!"

"Love," he pleaded with her. "That is not how Odin works."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT. Liar! Stop. Stop manipulating me. It's what everyone has been doing for weeks now … manipulating me. You. Ivy. Gran. Your mom. This entire fucking universe! It's okay to love him, they say ..." She had turned away from him and began to pace.

He shook his head. "No … _I love you_," he whispered, heatedly.

"You love magic and power. Clint tried to warn me ... the guy you _mind-controlled_."

He could only shake his head. "No."

"Stop _lying_ … you're just using me!"

"Darcy, no … I've always loved you." A tear escaped down his cheek.

"Convenient you say this, after you find out about my world here. After I show you Earth's magic," she said, her voice full of anger, eyes full of tears. "The Earth that you laughed at, and us mere mortals who dared to have a quarrel with your fucking boot! How could you love me? I was only ever meant to be _ruled_."

Loki walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders, looking her straight in the eyes. "I wanted you from the start, magic or no, mortal or no … I wanted you since I first saw you in those ridiculous dark glasses, in the meeting with Nick Fury. I've _loved_ you since you offered me that cup of coffee. Since you, beautiful sweet girl, offered me that kindness with sincerity, when no one else would. Please, please do not this." It was the kind of truth, the kind of confession, that Prince Loki, of Asgard, was not used to making.

Darcy wrestled away from his grasp, turned around, and grabbed the curtain.

"Darcy, please," he pleaded.

She drew the curtain around herself and Scott, blocking them from Loki … leaving him to stand there by himself.

Darcy looked down at Scott's face. He looked so serene … yet so lifeless. _Dead_.

She couldn't lose another friend, they were her family. Ivy ... Steve … Scott. And this time, it was all because of her. It was all her fault ... she'd brought chaos into her dear friend's life. Chaos. Personified.

She climbed into the bed and curled around her friend … like he used to with her, when they were young, when he needed comfort and reassurance.

Darcy stroked Scott's hair. "It's gonna get better." It's what she used to say to him, when they were children.

"Everything is gonna get better."

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

AN2: In case you don't watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson's man who turned out to be a traitor was Agent Ward ... his S.O. being the lovely, scenery chewing Bill Paxton. Damn, I'm really gonna miss him. Also, I never mentioned this before, but the prisoner, Dominikos Petrakis, is based on an X-Men villain, Avalanche. In the comics, he spent some time at Ryker Island. I know I said that the X-Men were fictional here, but Avalanche was just an inspiration.

And don't worry, this fic is labeled a comedy and a romance, not a tragedy. Click onto Chapter 28. Everything is gonna get better ;-)


	28. Chapter 28

Having seen _Guardians of the Galaxy_ will make certain aspects of this chapter more understandable, but it's not totally necessary. It should still make sense. Also, it's not really spoilery or anything.

XXX

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

Darcy lay in Scott's hospitable bed for quite some time … when no doctors or nurses came in to check on them, or kick her out, she realized that her priestess friends must have warded the room to keep people out.

They had left her alone, which was what those close to her knew to do, when she went into a dark mood. Jane knew. Jules knew … but Loki didn't know. Not really.

As the minutes went by, and she calmed down, Darcy knew that the things she'd said to Loki were incredibly unfair … but she'd been thinking over and over in her head … none of this would have happened if she'd never had Loki as a mission.

Darcy would probably still be in New York, or maybe she could have went to D.C. with Steve to help him and Natasha … they could have used a computer person from the get-go. Scott would be … _alive_.

It was the futile way of thinking that you do, when faced with great loss.

_If only …_

She was very familiar with it, and really should have known better by now … but grief is never rational.

Darcy tried to think in the opposite direction … if Loki had never been her mission, she would have never fallen in love with him. She had to admit to herself, it scared the fuck out of her. Was she actually trying to push him away?

_Love. Heart-song_, whatever the fuck that meant. What could they seriously be to each other?

Darcy had never been one to think of the future too much, usually opting to live in the now … only making vague plans to visit places like Rome and Angkor Wat … perhaps buy a house on a beach, those kinds of dreams. Not lovey-dovey pipe-dreams about "true wuv" like Westly from the fucking _Princess Bride_.

But the more time she spent with Loki, knowing that she was falling deeper and deeper in love with him, she wondered how things could possibly work out between them. And she was familiar with the notion, as she more than once, had wondered how in the world Jane and Thor could ever truly work out … and that it didn't seem all that fun to torture oneself with trying.

If they ended up being the type of couple that followed the natural progression that people tended to follow, they'd date for a while, get married, have kids … buy a house, grow old together, blasé blah.

She was never the type of girl to fantasize about such things, but she found herself thinking about them lately, and it scared her. She resented it. Who had she become? Darcy dreamed of travel and adventure, not color pallets for bridesmaids dresses and picking out pregnancy pillows. But for the first time in her life, she had secretly looked up wedding dresses online. She'd typed in "halter-style lace wedding gowns" into Google and marveled at the results that came up. Fucking marveled at them.

Then she almost slapped herself back to reality. Loki was an _alien_. He was a _demigod_. He had tried to take over her _planet_. His life expectancy was 5,000 fucking _YEARS_.

Darcy knew that she could get around it a little bit, if she honed and practiced her magic and abilities … she could live a long and youthful life with him … but for 5,000 years? She didn't know if she wanted to live for that long. That was some fucking commitment right there. And if she ever went to Asgard with him … was time different there? Was 5,000 years not so bad? Was it worse? Were women even allowed to have opinions there?

Also, was it physically possible to have children with him? Would it kill her? Shit, if she ever had to have a kid in classic Bella/Edward fashion, she'd kill herself in the delivery room before the baby ever had a chance to do it. She'd just go ahead and put herself out of her misery.

Weren't these questions one figured out before looking up wedding dresses online, like a love-struck little girl?

Darcy couldn't fool herself any longer though, because she knew ... she knew that she was in love with Loki. Even now, she felt the pull, she felt the need to be near him, wrapped up in his arms. And she felt the need to do the same for him, to take care of him. She wasn't dick-matized, she wasn't only in lust with him. She was in love with him.

But love or not, she didn't know if she _wanted_ to hone her magic and live way beyond her human years. She didn't know if the pain was worth it. If the crippling bone-chilling fear was worth it.

Darcy sat up slowly and looked at Scott again … the thought of honing her magic giving her an idea. Given the choice between the life or death of her friend, it was definitely worth it. No question. Maybe their bond was still there, and she could reach him, wherever he was … through her energy as a medium.

Scott was worth it ... and Loki was worth it. No more fear.

She grabbed both of his hands and closed her eyes, envisioning her blue energy expanding out from her throat, like Miss Ramona had taught her.

Instantly, she felt the violent vertigo and cacophony of voices … and this time, she had no priestess to help steady her. She would travel through the darkness on her own this time, for her friend.

Darcy had to make it through the layer of pitch-black anguish, the layer of the non-physical souls who were lost, souls in denial, souls weighed down by senseless physical guilt and shame.

When she traveled through them, their pain was her pain, she could feel their fear as if she were experiencing it herself, and it was more frightening than any horror movie she'd ever sat through. It was more terrifying than any zombie movie … because this was real. These were the real zombies … except they didn't like to eat brains, they liked to eat any good feelings you might have, dissolving them, making you forget that there was ever a time when you were happy.

Darcy was dizzy, frightened, disoriented, but she did what Miss Ramona and Jules had always told her … _focus on your intent. If you can't find your intent in the darkness, focus on something you know is real._

She thought about Scott's crooked smile … but it was Loki's mischievous smirk that appeared in her mind's eyes. Yes, she knew that was real. She knew that was true.

The voices and anguish stopped. Yes, sweet focus. She was there.

_Darcy opened her eyes in her familiar in-between._

_"I told you. I got him," Ivy said. Scott was sitting next to her under a tree, expressionless, as if he was a specter. Like a Loki-double. Not exactly real or all there._

_"Is he gonna be alright?"_

_"He will always be alright."_

_Darcy fought to not roll her eyes at Ivy's new-age pointless ramblings._

_"Is he here?"_

_"He's still mostly in the physical world than he is here … and he's pissed at you. He says he didn't save Loki for you to fuck it all up."_

_"But why would he do that?"_

_"It was the only way, Darcy … if he hadn't done it, Loki would have been lost forever. Wouldn't you have done the same?_

_She nodded. They all would have done the same._

_"Is he going to live?"_

_"That's not up to me, Darcy."_

_She sighed. "I'm sorry. I should have trusted you. I should have trusted you when you said not to doubt him ... Loki."_

_Darcy looked at Scott's strange form … there was a darkness hovering in front of him, Thanos' magical fingerprint, the space-demon's stamp … could she do anything for him here?_

_She reached a hand out towards the energy and Ivy grabbed her arm, sending her otherworldly tingles along her skin. "You need an anchor to feel that."_

_Darcy nodded. "Okay."_

_She reached out until her fingers could touch it … the alien magic._

A dark vision slowly appeared, and she saw a far-away galaxy, beautiful, serene … except for the beings that inhabited it. Had Loki been here?

Thanos was preoccupied … it was his right-hand man (right-hand creature?) that was doing most of the work on Loki, and he was growing very weak. It was his energy that was being used, by Thanos.

Thanos' "Hand of the King", so to speak. He was seriously gross-looking, and since it was his army of Chitauri that had also failed, he was tasked to bring Loki to justice by any means necessary.

Loki had failed in his mission to procure the Tesseract, but Thanos had a new stone to obsess over … a purple stone. Possession of the purple stone would give him easier access to the Tesseract. And easier access to all the _other_ ones. All six.

And he'd found a new Loki to exploit ... a man shrouded in strange armor with a long strange hammer-looking weapon. Like he did with Loki, Thanos was using this new minion's hatred and anger in the same way, for the same purpose. Promises, dark promises in exchange for a stone, a stone that had infinite power to destroy.

But Darcy could tell that this new "Loki" on this new mission, was completely and utterly dark, devoid of light ... there was no need to amplify this minion's darkness. No need to infiltrate his mind with blind lust for power. Thanos had learned his lesson, from using puppets who skirted the line between light and dark.

There was no more room left for weakness. No room left for failure.

Weakness must be cast aside for the sake of power.

_Ivy pulled Darcy back to Earth's in-between. "Don't go any further … they'll sense you."_

_Darcy let the far-away galaxy go and concentrated on Ivy's face, bathed in preternatural light. This was real, but it was non-physical._

_She needed physical._

_"Where's Loki?" She knew that she'd probably hurt him beyond repair, but she needed him._

_"He's with Eshu. You know Jules and Miss Ramona won't let him out of their sight, Darcy."_

_She nodded, suddenly grateful for her friends and feeling very undeserving of them._

_"I'm going to try to fix this."_

_Ivy smiled. "I know you will."_

Darcy opened her eyes, still holding Scott's hand … amazed that she was able to ground herself in the physical so quickly. Perhaps it was because her intent was so very important to her.

She looked down at Scott one more time, smoothed his hair into a swoop, and walked out into the hallway.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Darcy found Jules sitting in a chair in the hallway, concentrating … obviously using her magic to ward the room, and make sure no one entered. She was also making sure no one went inside to turn off any of the machines, to take him off life support and declare Scott dead.

Her friend looked up when she felt Darcy's presence.

"I need to figure out a way to get Loki's magic back," she said.

"This?" Darcy swept her arms around in a circle, meaning everything going down lately … "is nothing. This is petty. What went down in D.C. is small potatoes compared to what's out there right now."

She walked over and knelt before Jules. "I'm so sorry about everything. I feel like I brought so much trouble here … to a city that doesn't need anymore trouble."

Her friend looked sympathetic. "You know better than to think that way ... and besides, I gotcha, girlfriend." Jules smiled. "Here." She handed her a cup of coffee from off the table next to her … "I think part of your problem is that you haven't had any coffee in days."

Darcy's inner caffeine-addict rejoiced. "Thanks. Where's Loki?"

"Eshu's got him in the waiting room. Go."

Darcy took a sip from the paper cup and walked down the hallway, the coffee was actually pretty damn good, pumpkin-spiced even … was Jules learning java magic too?

She found the brothers-in-mischief sitting alone in the little room, Eshu smoking his thin cigar as usual. The waiting room must had been warded too, since there wasn't a chance on Earth anyone was getting away with smoking in a hospital without magic.

As soon as Darcy saw Loki, she was compelled to cry tears of remorse, but there were no more … she had already cried them all. She stood there in the doorway, clutching her coffee and staring at him. He was sitting in a chair, hunched over, his head in his hands, black locks falling in his face.

"Loki."

He shot straight up, no expression on his face.

"Loki, I'm so sorry," her voice cracking on the last word. She walked up to him and looked down at the coffee she was holding in her hand. "Here," she said impulsively. Darcy didn't know what the formal words were on Asgard, when you gave someone a cup as a blessing, as a favor, so she improvised. "I offer you this cup?" she said softly and quite awkwardly.

Loki's expressionless face turned into sweet almost-anguished relief, as he simply reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into his lap. He took the coffee from her hand, set it on the floor, and they fit their arms each other tightly. He chuckled, "oh, you silly girl."

When Darcy noticed that Eshu was not in the room anymore, she said, "I'm so sorry Loki … I had no right to say those things to you. You didn't deserve that at all … or how I've been treating you the past few days."

"Shhhhh, Love." Loki wasn't used to people apologizing to him in such a way. "I'm sorry that I cannot help."

She shook her head from where she had it buried in his neck. "But you are helping. I don't know what I'd do without you. I don't deserve you."

Loki closed his eyes, now she was really being silly. "Perhaps we should just stop all the worry about who deserves what … though you are wrong, Darcy. You deserve the world."

Eshu appeared in the doorway. "You two should go, get some rest … I'm going to stay here with Jules and hold off the vultures. We got this."

Darcy nodded, deciding to trust that Eshu had everything under control. If a "supernatural" told her "I got this", for now on, she'd believe them.

"Come on Darcy, you haven't slept in days," Loki said, as he kissed the top of her head.

She also decided to let him care for her, to let him love her.

There was a lot of strange deciding and trusting going on.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

As soon as they got back to the hotel, Darcy walked right past the TV and her laptop, and fell into bed. She hadn't been sleeping or eating and it had taken its toll on her, as well as the people around her. She owed it to them to actually get some rest … so she wouldn't be such a raging bitch. She explained this to Loki as she changed into the cozy shorts she slept in and a tank top. He smiled and nodded to her, as he pulled back the covers so she could get her rest … but as he watched her get ready for bed, he could feel the tightening ache of deprivation in his gut from not being able to take her … it had been days.

He crawled into bed behind her. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, but he didn't curl around her back as he normally did, spooning her in his arms. She didn't need his cock-stand jamming into her spine as she tried to sleep.

Loki lay on his back and visualized being buried deep in the snow on Jotunheim … and when that didn't work, he just got up and took a cold shower.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Darcy woke up in the middle of the night, slightly refreshed, the few hours of sleep doing her a world of good. She sat up in complete darkness and waited for her eyes to adjust. Loki was laying on his back next to her, totally passed out. She leaned down and watched him for a few seconds … he looked so young in his sleep. So care-free. It must have been what he was once like. She wished to bring a little bit of that youth and care-freeness back into his world … as much as she could.

Darcy got up as quietly as possible and opened the drawer to the nightstand, next to the bed. She knew there were always candles stashed there, just in case the power went out, and to add to the feel of what Scott called "Old New Orleans." She put a few into the antique candle holders next to the bed, struck a match, and lit them … bathing the room in a very soft and flickering golden light. She then walked around and untied the mosquito netting from the bed-posts, so that it looked as if there were sheer curtains hanging on all sides, creating a glowing soft haven.

She slipped through the netting and got back into bed, scooting into Loki's side, who then instinctively put his arm around her. She settled her head in that special place between his shoulder and chest, that cozy nook that she'd claimed as hers.

Darcy ran her hand up his shirt and began to feel his warm skin, running her fingers over his chest. She could tell that he'd woken up, stiffening slightly after being coaxed out of sleep, but then he sighed and relaxed as he began to roam his hands over her as well … one down her back, the other across her thigh. They did this for a few moments … just getting back to the feel of each other, moving in a languid rhythm.

She then lifted her head to look at him … his blue-green eyes looked black, with ethereal golden flickers from the candlelight. She kissed him and they both groaned, falling into each other as they explored with lips and tongues … slowly, masterfully.

Darcy could feel the want, the need in her badly. It pulled at her in the heart. It wasn't just sex. It wasn't about fucking, it wasn't even about caring for another person … though all of that was there. This was about love, and her desperate need to express it to him. She decided that this encounter would be all for him.

She rolled on top of him as they kissed, straddling him. "Loki … I love you."

He searched her face, seeing a very strange expression in her features, and it made his chest tighten. It was adoration, respect, reverence, all the things he'd dreamed of seeing in another's face, directed at him … it really was love.

He opened his mouth to say it back, but he thought of something she'd probably appreciate more.

"I know," he said, with his irresistible mischievous grin.

A huge smile formed on her face and she playfully swooned, falling backwards slightly, hand on her forehead … "Oh, Loki … I do believe I've got the vapors." She giggled … blaming the candles and four-poster curtained-bed for her southern belle-speak.

He laughed with her as he sat up and kissed her again, smiles on both their faces. So this was also love … being able to laugh in bed, sharing secret jokes.

As the heat grew and their bodies started to move against each other in an undulating rhythm, they lost their smiles … instead being filled to the brim with lust, there was no more room for thinking.

She reached down and pulled her shirt over her head, baring her breasts right in his face, which he immediately put his mouth on with a growl. His lips and teeth found a nipple and he fought not to bite down hard, as a wave of pure need rushed through him ... a need to immediately plunge into her, made worse from days without release.

After she divested him of his shirt, she ran her hands down the muscled planes of his back, basking in the feeling of her naked skin on his … it was probably one of the best possible sensations in the whole physical world … the warmth, the touch, the smell of a beloved's skin.

They began to buck against each other like teenagers, which was fun … but they both needed more. She pushed at his chest so that he'd lay back down … and she helped him remove his pajama bottoms. He then practically ripped her shorts and panties off, as he struggled to pull them down, reaching between them at a strange angle. Taking clothes off when you'd rather just get to the good part, could be awkward at times.

She resumed her position, straddling his middle … and she could feel that he was more than ready, as his cock was pressing against her ass. Darcy reached behind and gripped him, giving him a few healthy strokes … he arched his neck and groaned, his adam's apple flexing, the shadows severe in the candlelight. He was finally receiving the touch he needed so badly.

"You're so hard," Darcy said, almost breathless.

He ran his hands up her thighs, a few fingers finding the cleft between her legs, rubbing at the slick and swollen flesh. She moaned, and he pulsated in her hand.

"You're so wet."

After a few more seconds, the manual attention just wasn't enough anymore.

"Darcy … please."

Her chest tightened and she looked down, her heart breaking at the word "please" … he never needed to beg her again to do anything. Though in bed … well, maybe that was a different story.

She released him from her hand and positioned herself over him as he gripped her hips, desperate to be inside, to feel the wet silky heat. As she slid onto him, enveloping him, they both groaned, crying out ... Darcy practically sobbing, a tear stinging at her eye from the emotion. The pleasure, combined with love … it threatened to consume her and she hadn't even started moving yet.

She began to sway and Loki sat up, holding her, wrapping her legs gently around his waist. He pressed his hands against her lower back, urging her to move with him.

The position was terribly intimate, both of them sitting up at eye level, both able to wrap their arms around each other, both moving against each other as if they were trying to move through one another.

"Look at me," he whispered, his voice strained with need.

Darcy had been looking down, at nothing in particular, as she worked to find a rhythm … but she obeyed, lifting her eyes to his face. They stared as they moved, looking at each other in wonderment at the intensity, their eyes getting bigger and bigger as the sweet tension began to build between them.

She threaded her fingers through his hair, pulling slightly as his hand found her breast and he started kneading, pinching her nipples, all the while never losing eye-contact, never losing the ebb and flow of their intimate climbing, rocking fluidly against each other … and it was growing in power and ferocity.

"Are—you close?" he panted … he wasn't going to last much longer, but he wasn't about to leave her behind.

She cried out as his hips drove up harder, reaching deep inside, the angle hitting her perfectly. "Hnnn … _yes_. God—you feel so good," she said breathily into his lips. "So so so fucking good."

After a few more pushes, creeping towards the edge, he grabbed her ass, trying to press as close as possible. She could feel it … it was almost there. She made sure to look at him through it all, to not close her eyes, as it seemed like it was what he wanted … one breath, two breaths …

The orgasm was almost violent, as it made her body shake and shudder involuntarily … uncontrollably, and she stared straight at him, as the surprise of it all washed across her face.

The intensity of her climax, sent old-fashioned male pride running through his veins at the sight of making her come so hard … and the feeling of her spasms around his cock sent him over the edge with her, exactly one second later. He came inside her, spilling deep. He groaned as days of tension flowed out of his body along with his release … and they rode it out together, holding on to each other as the sexual energy washed through them in waves.

For Darcy, the emotions, the pleasure … the love, it was just too much to contain in her body, and it expanded in the form of tears. Ecstatic tears. Happy tears.

Tears of love.

Loki watched in amazement as a single tear ran down her cheek and fell onto his chest.

They were both still breathing deeply, coming down from their high … when Loki's green magic began to flow through him, shining out from his heart … moving down along his lower chakras and back to the upper ones. When his magic moved over his throat, Darcy's blue energy, her Earthen magic, seemed to recognize it, and met his in an explosion of blue-green. Turquoise.

The joining of their magics, while still being intimately joined, made them come all over again … but this time, with their eyes closed. Darcy was sure that this kind of orgasm would be like sneezing … you had to keep your eyes closed, or they would pop out of your head.

The next few seconds were a total blur … but moments later, they found themselves sprawled out on the bed, spent, staring wide-eyed up at the canopy.

"Sooooo …" she said between pants.

"Yes," he said after a few deep breaths. "It seems as though … my magic has returned."

"_Fuck_. What was that … _sex magic_?"

"Perhaps? I do not know, quite honestly."

Darcy groaned … _really? Sex magic? Love?_ These were the keys to Loki getting his magic back?

Really?!

She began to laugh … "OH, _COME ON!_"

Loki began to laugh as well, caught up in the absolute giddiness of having his magic back.

Darcy watched as he sat up on his knees. He took her hand and magically made clothes form on his body. His green V-neck and jeans lit into place. "By Valhalla … I've missed that."

Darcy laughed. "It's really too bad that we have to leave now … because that was really hot and I really want to fuck you again."

Loki looked down and made clothes appear magically on her as well … "Don't worry, Love … I know exactly what to do. It won't take long, and Scott will feel like, how do Midgardians say it? … a million bucks?"

He kissed her fingers. "Then we can come back here and _fuck_." The way he said the taboo Midgardian word made chills run down Darcy's spine. "It seems as though we have a lot of new possibilities to explore." His eyes dark, his smile was positively devilish.

She could only nod, in a daze from his promise. "Okay."

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

_AN: Whelp. That was about the fluffiest piece of writing to ever pour out of my fingertips. Gah. Fluff balls of cotton candy and bunnies.  
_


	29. Chapter 29

AN: So yeah, sorry about the long length in time between updates. I've been working myself to death at the day job ... and I had a bit of a bout of writer's self-loathing and felt like I was churning out chapters too quickly and posting them before they were at their best. I was beginning to feel like the story was more of a rough draft than a series of completed chapters, so I went back and cleaned and tightened some things up. I added a little here and there, and took away things that weren't working so well, though nothing major has changed. I'm finally pretty happy with MTDG as a whole, so I moved on to the last few chapters. I know I said that there would be two more, but after writing this one, I found that I was being a bit over-zealous. It was my OCD, wanting to finish the fic with a nice even number of chapters. 30 was such a great number ... but I think I'll have to add one or two. Hope you don't mind ;-) I'm definitely not going to go this long between chapters again, as I want to finish this. I plan to participate in NaNoWriMo and I need clear mind. No gods in my brain!

Anyway, thanks for sticking with me! And thanks for your reviews and input. I have the best readers ever, you have truly inspired me :-D

XXX

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

As soon as Loki and Darcy walked into Scott's hospital room, they were met with knowing smiles. Miss Ramona had an arched brow and a slight smirk a la Mona Lisa, and Jules had a downright wicked grin on her face. Eshu just stood in the corner trying to be nonchalant and cool-as-fuck as always, but even he couldn't mask the twinkle in his eye.

And Darcy was all embarrassment. She knew Miss Ramona must have known what the key was to Loki's magic, and that she had given it to him, she just wasn't sure of the details. And as much as Loki needed to achieve something in order to regain his powers, strangely enough … she did too. The mushy side of love still made her cringe a little inside, hence the embarrassment of everything being out in the open, but real love, the part where you would walk through hell and back for another person, the part where you share the secrets of your mind and body, where you laugh in bed in the morning sun, those were the parts that she'd made peace with. And she'd made that peace with Loki, Norse God of Mischief.

What. The. Fuck.

All she could do was shake her head furiously and sit next to Miss Ramona, who then wrapped her arms around Darcy.

"I knew it would happen, baby girl."

Darcy watched as Loki hovered over Scott's hospital bed, green energy glowing from his fingertips as he assessed the alien magic keeping their friend at bay. She saw something in his face that she hadn't seen before. It was the kind of joy she got when she was zoned out on her laptop, knee-deep in cascading style-sheets, or trying to creatively navigate through locked-down computer networks, and then that moment of elation when everything just clicks, and you're in. It's the happiness you feel when you're doing something you love, when work isn't really work anymore, but a craft. An art-form. A love.

She was happy for him. There was a sort-of swelling in her chest actually, and she thought about when the Grinch's heart grew three sizes … yeah, it was like that.

_Nerd_, she thought to herself.

Darcy leaned over and whispered into Miss Ramona's ear. "I'm still not sure what happened, exactly."

The priestess smiled at her warmly. "I'd pass up Saints Super Bowl tickets to see Odin's face right now."

Darcy laughed. "What was it?"

Miss Ramona turned and spoke softly so no one could hear. "It's been said that he 'lacked conviction'. Odin felt as if Loki took every opportunity he could to feel slighted, to feel betrayed. And perhaps he was right. These feelings of slight and betrayal made it easier for Loki to turn his back on those who loved him, to let it fuel his anger and resentment, which in the end is selfish. Odin felt as if this was his nature, and again, perhaps it was."

"There must be a selflessness in loving someone, and conviction, you must have faith in a person, and trust. Odin was blessed with this kind of love with Loki's mother, and he misses her so very much. Odin wasn't the easiest man to love, but Frigga did … and that was his task, to find a love as true. He needed to fight for it, to not turn his back like he's done every single time before. To not quit, but to endure. He fought for you, he didn't run away at the first sign of trouble. He didn't use your anger as an excuse to feel slighted and betrayed … he endured."

The priestess then took Darcy's hand. "But it wasn't just Loki … I'm sure that Odin never thought it would happen quite so soon, that someone would fall in love with Loki the way he needed. Loki needed to be loved in return. He needed someone to have faith in him, trust in him. I'm not sure his father thought there would be anyone on this planet, full of people he thought beneath him, that could love and trust Loki … and certainly not with him being confined to your organization.

"In life, with their children, Odin gave the orders, but Frigga would then move the chess pieces as she saw fit, for her sons. It seems as if she does this, even now. But rest easy, Darcy, she could only ever help … she could never meddle with someone's free will, not that she ever would. In the end, it was a _tear_. A tear of love from someone who trusted him, someone he had fought for, from someone who loved him as Frigga loved Odin. A tear of love broke his bonds."

Darcy stared slack-jawed for a few seconds. "A tear? Seriously?"

"I believe that his father greatly underestimated him. It seemed to be the one thing Loki's always wanted, but somehow always pushed away. It was probably assumed that he'd continue to push anything resembling love away, probably for centuries."

Darcy's could feel pressure build up in her ears, as if she were on a plane, which made her realize that Miss Ramona had silenced herself from other ears.

"But on a deeper level, Odin essentially wanted this for his son, and he felt as if it was a lesson that Frigga would have approved of. In Odin's way, he wished to honor her. He knew how much she had meant to Loki. When she died, he regretted separating them … but little did he know, Frigga had ways around him."

Darcy frowned. "So you could see all that? When you looked for the spell that bound his mojo?"

"Much can be seen in a magical fingerprint, like our physical fingerprints, no two are the same ... and like any language, you can learn to read them. Intent is always woven into a spell. That, and I have communicated with Frigga myself, as you know."

"Right. Sooooo … it wasn't sex magic?"

"Sex magic?"

"Er. Nevermind." Darcy averted her eyes.

Miss Ramona laughed. "If that's what was happening at the time, it was a coincidence. I can see how the return of his magic would activate yours, and thus the intimate mingling of your energies would have resulted in … em, a sexually ecstatic state."

She blushed. "Well … that's good I guess, I was thinking it was kinda pervy that his dad would make sex magic his task."

Darcy faced back forward and sunk in her chair. "But a tear?" she whined, no longer speaking in hushed tones so that others in the room could hear. "Seriously? Ugh …"

She groaned and rested her head on Miss Ramona's shoulder. "Oh, God … I can barely stand it. It's like something out of a Disney movie. I feel like any minute now, woodland creatures and inanimate objects are going to break into song."

She saw Loki grin at the remark.

"Don't get any ideas," Darcy said, pointing her finger at him.

"Don't worry, dearest, I'm busy trying to bring your friend back to life." He motioned for Eshu to join him. "I need you to restore him with his earthen energy as soon as I take away the alien magic that is obstructing him."

They watched as the two Gods of Mischief worked their healing magic in a haze of green. First, Loki seemed to conjure up a black mist from Scott's chest, drawing it out. With intense concentration and a flick of his wrist, he dissolved it. Eshu then stepped in and put his hands over their friend's heart, energy glowing from his palms. After his body had absorbed the life-force, Scott's eyes eventually began to flutter and open. He started to struggle to sit up and the two men helped calm him down.

Darcy and Jules exchanged pleasantly stunned glances, extremely proud of their hot and godly boyfriends.

"Oh my gods," Scott said roughly. "You guys, I need a glass of water … Can't. Talk. Oh, and can you put a lime in it? Because I'm bougie."

Both Loki and Eshu began to make a gesture that would produce Scott's water and lime out of thin air, but the Earth god stood back and smiled. "Be my guest," he said, happy for his brother and his returned magic. Scott sat up on his forearms looking between them, grinning at the fact that two gorgeous gods were debating over who to serve him.

Perhaps he should get zapped by interdimensional beings more often.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

After Scott made his miraculous recovery and the doctors poked and prodded him, and shook their heads a lot, wondering how the hell someone with no brain activity could all of a sudden wake up and be totally fine … they finally let him go home. Of course, it was only after some gentle persuasion from Miss Ramona that they didn't keep him "for observation" while they ran every manner of test on him to figure out why he was in such amazing shape, but they let him go none-the-less.

By this time, it was mid-morning and everyone was exhausted, so they made plans to meet up for dinner at Jules' mom's restaurant after getting some sleep. Scott said that death made him crave fried chicken and Nella's famous coconut cake.

As Loki and Darcy walked into their hotel room, she noticed it was time to check her messages. Loki gave her a wary look.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'm not gonna go ballistic. I've learned my lesson. I guess I missed that one in my assassin training. Natasha taught me a lot, but I guess HYDRA took over before she could teach me how to keep cool under pressure."

Loki didn't comment. The Black Widow had been one of the only humans to ever successfully trick him in a battle of wits. Granted, his mind had been poisoned by the scepter and Tesseract and he wasn't at his sharpest, but none the less, trick him she did. He wasn't sure how much of her technique he wanted Darcy to learn. After a long while of practicing mind-games, you begin to lose yourself as you're constantly playing a part, a role, putting up a mask. Darcy was so refreshingly genuine, and her gifts lay in calling one out on their bullshit by her sharp observational skills and bluntless. She didn't need to be manipulative as she did quite well at her own battles of wits armed with her personal brand of intelligence and sass.

After checking her pre-paid phone for messages from Jane, Darcy turned on her iPhone momentarily to check if anyone else had tried to contact her. After several texts from her mom, about taking that job in Atlanta now that S.H.I.E.L.D. was labeled a terrorist organization (because, of course), was a message that made Darcy's heart jump into her throat.

"_Overseas pharmacy. Natural Male enhancement, only 20.00_."

"OH MY GOD, IT'S STEVE!"

Loki looked over her shoulder to read the message. "Male enhancement?"

She started to laugh, mainly because of all the sleep deprivation, not eating right, and the bat-shit craziness that had gone down … _male enhancement_. Jane and Darcy had spent many a tequila-drenched "Taco Tuesday" wondering if Steve's super soldier serum had worked … _everywhere_.

"Um … it's just something me and Jane came up with, because we're kind of evil sometimes. Steve is Captain America, you know … he's a super soldier. He's been … enhanced."

Loki still wasn't quite sure what that meant, but he let it go. "What does the 20.00 mean?"

"It's military time, he's saying that he'll turn his phone on at 8," she said, unable to mask her elation, even though her new Asgardian BF was a little sensitive about Cap.

Darcy twirled around the room, holding the phone to her chest. "Steve is alive!"

"Out of curiosity, what is your code drug?" Loki asked, wanting to selfishly steer the conversation away from the captain.

She grinned. "Medical marijuana."

"Whatever for?"

"Em … because back in college, when I was a bit of a stoner girl, I used to joke around and say that I smoked pot because of my eyes, even though I don't have glaucoma … weed is good for that apparently … but anyway, without contacts or glasses, I'm pretty much legally blind.

"Would you like me to fix that for you?"

"Like magic Lasik?"

He nodded, practically itching for excuses to practice magic.

She crinkled her nose in thought. "I'll think about it …"

Loki looked confused. "Why would you not want me to help you?"

Darcy laughed. "Don't look so hurt. It's not because I don't want to accept your help … it's just that I have an awesome collection of prescription rims, shades, and colored contact lenses. They'd all be worthless if I had my eyes fixed. All that money down the drain."

Loki bit his lip. "Hm, I love you in those glasses." He took her by the hand and began to lead her to the bedroom.

Darcy's stomach still did a flip whenever he said those words … "I love you", in any context.

"I'm still unused to all the sappy stuff," she said, grinning, as she let him lead her to the bed. "Just don't all of a sudden break out into love poetry … give me a little heads up for something like that."

"Hn. Recite me a Midgardian love poem, I'd like to hear one. I've only heard your 'rap' poetry, and I can hardly believe any of that is meant to inspire affection," he said, as he sat down on the bed and pulled her down with him.

Darcy got comfortable next to him and turned on her side, head propped up by her elbow. The pillows and soft duvet were so comforting, she could have probably just drifted off to sleep immediately … but she thought about his request for a second. "Umm … a lot of people like to quote Shakespeare or E.E. Cummings, or people like that, and they're great … though I don't really have any of their sonnets or poems memorized. My favorite love quote though, is from a children's author. I was obsessed with his books when I was little."

"Who was your great children's author?"

"Dr. Seuss," she said lazily, starting to feel sleepy.

"Well? The quote." Loki reached his hand over and twirled a lock of her long dark hair around his finger. He loved the way her bronzed highlights at the ends caught the light.

Darcy blushed slightly and grinned at him. "Okay … Umm … Midgardian love-quote, here goes ... '_We're all a little weird, and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them in mutual weirdness, and call it love_.'"

Loki laughed … Darcy's particular favorite kind of laugh, where his smile reached his eyes and they practically lit up. "It suits you perfectly," he said. "And is quite true."

Darcy laid back and shut her eyes, growing more and more relaxed. "Sooo … I was thinking, if we're kind of stuck here, and I'm not an agent anymore … maybe we should stay in my grandmother's house instead of the hotel. It's a lot bigger and cozier." She yawned.

She didn't see the huge smile that formed across Loki's face. "I would love to see your childhood sanctuary." _And to share a home with you_, he thought.

"You know, I wish I could see where you grew up," she said, as she drifted off to sleep.

He slid his arm around her middle and closed his eyes, resting his head next to hers.

"Me too."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

When Darcy woke up, feeling infinitely better after several hours of uninterrupted sleep, the sun had started to set, bathing the room in a deep orange hue. She reached over to look at the bedside clock.

"It's not time to call the captain quite yet," Loki said tiredly, with his eyes still closed.

Darcy smiled warmly at him. His obvious jealousy was a bit cute, usually annoying … but also cute. "You have nothing to worry about, with Steve I mean … I wish you'd believe me when I say he's just my friend."

Loki opened an eye and frowned. "I've seen the way he looks at you, like you're a cool drink after an age in the desert."

"What? You're delusional. He doesn't look at me like that."

He opened both eyes and rolled onto his side. "I assure you, he does."

"Loki. He doesn't. And even if he did … you'd still have nothing to worry about. Like I said, he's a grandpa, only he looks 30. I think what you're picking up on, is that I remind him of the girl he was, well … _still is_, in love with."

"This is not making making the situation better, Darcy," he said, irritation in his voice.

"No, seriously. He's in love with someone else. And even if I did like him in that way, _and I don't_, but if I did … I could never date him, seeing as he's in love with that Peggy chic. The first time I met Cap, I had my hair kind of styled all retro, like I do sometimes when I dress up, and was wearing dark red lipstick. He actually called me 'Peggy' a few times … and I had to be like, '_yo!_ I'm Darcy'. I was actually pretty pissed off about it at the time, because I didn't know what was going on."

"What does wearing red lipstick have to do with it?"

"Women in the 1940's universally wore fire-engine red lipstick. It was a requirement if you had ovaries, apparently. Another thing is, I guess this Peggy person was a pretty strong and opinionated woman for her time. And I say 'fuck' a lot. So I guess I remind him of her."

Loki seemed to take an interest. "Is this woman deceased?"

Darcy chewed on her lip. "No. But he is in love with a ghost … that's still alive, strangely enough. She lives in an assisted-living home for Alzheimer's patients in D.C.. Steve would leave for a few days to visit her every so often … and I'm sure he was happy to go there on his recent mission, for that reason. Agent Peggy Carter, she was a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., a righteous babe. Still is, even in her 90's."

"So she is an old woman now." He averted his eyes.

Darcy momentarily thought she noticed something like sympathy flicker in his features.

"Yeah. She and Cap missed out on a whole lifetime while he was frozen, because of that stupid Tesseract." Darcy realized exactly how much trouble that stupid blue cube had caused, not just for the past few years, but for decades.

"Anyway. Me and Jane became friends with Steve pretty quick after we arrived in New York. You could tell he threw himself into his Avenger work as a distraction. Being a soldier was his one true calling, but he didn't have a life at all, and he walked around kinda sad and like he didn't know where he was. He was the wallflower of the team, even more so than Bruce … and Tony teased him relentlessly. Natasha was always trying to set him up with someone, and it made him really uncomfortable."

"Jane and I started asking him if he wanted to hang out … watch movies, grab lunch. We became close pretty quickly, because we were all kind of the new and awkward kids at school. Steve loosened up, and he eventually told us about his long-dead soldier buddies, his best childhood friend, and Peggy. Jane would actually get pretty personal and ask him questions about his feelings towards her … if he just went to visit her in D.C. out of pity, or if he really still felt a connection to her … and he always said that he did. Feel a connection. Me and Cap could always tell she was asking because of, you know … her and Thor."

Loki lay on his back and stared up at the canopy. "One day she will be an old woman … and Thor will look very much the same as he does today. I wish I could say that I could predict his reaction … but Thor is very different now. He may stand by her."

"Hm." Darcy lay on her back as well. "I don't think she'd like that. She's not going to like any outcome actually. She's gonna hurt if he leaves, and she's gonna hurt if he stays."

Loki was silent a few moments. "What would you have them do?" he asked, finally. It was a loaded question.

"I don't know. Live in the now, I suppose. They love each other. That can never be bad."

"And what if they have children? Jane's offspring would be half-Asgardian, they would live for centuries upon centuries without her." Another loaded question.

Darcy thought about it for a minute before answering. "Jane is one of those career-girls that would probably be perfectly happy never having kids. Science is her baby."

"That sounds utterly dismal."

"Why?" Darcy's inner-feminist began to assert herself. "Not every woman wants kids. It's unfair for society to assume that, and to make women think that there's something wrong with them if they don't want to squeeze out a brood of screamers and clean up poop all day. Some of us like the idea of focusing on careers and achievement, travel, freedom … a clean house! Being able to have a few drinks with friends and not have to worry about babysitters. Eight hours of sleep a night. Boobs that haven't deflated. A vagina that isn't torn apart! I have friends with kids, and they like to tell me over and over again ... _your vagina is never the same again_."

Loki laughed softly. "Dearest. Any child of Thor would be a prince or princess. They would have servants, tutors, nannies, wet-nurses. No need for messy rooms, lost sleep, or deflated breasts."

Darcy rolled her eyes. "Wet-nurse? What is this, the middle ages? Another woman's boob feeding your kid? I'm not sure Jane would like that either."

He raised an eyebrow as she was becoming quite heated. "Are you quite certain we are still talking of Jane?"

"Ugh. You started this, Loki. Let's just say that I'm pretty sure neither one of us is ready for all that. Maybe one of these days, I'll walk past a Baby Gap and my ovaries will start screaming, but it ain't today. What is it with you asking about babies anyway? Usually dudes want to talk about _anything_ other than babies."

Loki looked over at her and grinned. "Royals are raised to anticipate and look forward to welcoming a legitimate 'heir and a spare' into the world. It means their line, their name, will live on."

Darcy blinked back at him. "We come from very different worlds. Figuratively speaking. Socially speaking. And _literally_ speaking," she said, dryly.

He lost the grin. "Darcy. What will you do? Do you wish to be Peggy Carter?" He was tired of dancing around the subject of whether or not she would choose to live a normal human life-span.

She sat up on her elbows and narrowed her eyes at her immortal boyfriend. Peggy Carter was an amazing lady … she didn't just shrivel up and die, she moved on after Cap. She was one of the most successful women she'd ever heard of, who lived a seriously full life … Darcy was uncomfortable thinking of her as a cautionary tale. But at the end of the day, Peggy and Cap didn't have a choice about how their story ended. Darcy had a choice, and it was a gift that others could never dream of.

She softened. "Well, I distinctly remember someone saying they'd help me to hone my magic once they got their powers back." Darcy smiled over at him. "When do the lessons start?"

Loki let the implication sink in. His lips slowly curled back into a grin and his eyes darkened.

"Now."

He rolled over and slowly began to climb on top of her. "Lesson number one … "

She gasped as their clothing began to dissolve in green light.

"I like this lesson."

He kissed his way down her neck, to her breasts, and hooked a thumb behind her knee. He pushed her thigh towards the bed, opening her to him. "Shhh. There will be no talking in class."

He gave her a quick but searing open-mouth kiss. "Only screaming will be allowed."

After pushing inside, he found that she was quite a good student. A very good student indeed.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

"I don't understand why you like watching me put makeup on."

Loki was sitting on the edge of the tub again, in his boxer-briefs, watching her dab under her eyes with moisturizer. She'd been trying to get ready for their dinner date later with everyone, and he kept distracting her.

"I suppose it is silly," he said.

This made her look at him through the mirror, and she noticed something she'd never seen written across his features … _shyness_.

"You're talking to the queen of silly over here, honey. What gives?"

He looked up at her reflection and sighed. "I suppose it was a bit of a fascination when I was a child. There were so few precious things that were only mine, and from since I can remember, I'd sit with my mother in the mornings while she applied her makeup and had her hair done. It was when she'd ask me questions about my lessons, and she would offer advice on this or that. She'd talk of spells, enchantments, glamours, and that sort … and she'd tell me stories of her home realm. These were things that Thor was never interested in, and it was precious time that I could spend with her, as I discovered that men were not to sully themselves by witnessing such feminine acts … but that kind of ridiculousness never bothered me. It was about an hour a day when I could have Frigga to myself. It became intriguing to me how women could almost arm themselves by painting their faces, as if they were drawing a kind of confidence right on their skin, heightening their features, almost like a mask. A beautiful mask that made facing the day a bit easier. I'd wish I was able to conjure such a mask … and I suppose I did end up developing them in a way. I had my mother's tricks. I learned to shapeshift."

Darcy had set down her tools and stood watching him tell his story, his eyes to the floor.

"After I reached a certain age, Odin made sure to fill that precious hour of my day with sparring lessons. For a boy to study sorcery and to familiarize themselves with the rituals of women, was considered … _ergi_."

"Ergi?" Darcy asked, never having heard the strange word.

Loki looked up at her. "Effeminate … or, mortals sometimes call it … gay."

She turned around and walked over to him, settled herself between his legs from where he was sitting on the tub. With her standing, his eyes were at about breast-level and she caught him staring at them hungrily, able to see her areolas through her thin camisole. She ran her fingers through his hair and he brought his arms around her waist in an embrace.

"You're so obviously not … ergi," she said as his mouth brushed over clothed nipples. "Not that there's anything wrong with that," she quickly added.

Darcy put her hands on the sides of his face, forcing him to take his attention away from her breasts and look at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that I thought you watching me put on makeup was weird … it's just distracting, with you sitting there in your underwear. Looking the way you do."

He gave her a devilish grin. "And you walking around in this see-through garment isn't supposed to be distracting?"

She smiled down at him. "I've known a few dudes over the years who were always very comfortable around women, talked as easily with them as they did their guy friends, didn't care what people thought … and those were always the ones who got the most pussy. I got your number, Mr. Mischief."

Loki laughed softly. "Perhaps it all helped later in life."

Before things started going in the direction of more heated distraction, Darcy reluctantly took a step back. "I have to tell you something."

Loki, all of a sudden missing the warmth of her skin, looked up in confusion.

She gave him a guilty look. "Sorry, it's just the mention of your mother reminded me of something."

He instantly sobered. "What is it?"

Darcy sat on the edge of the tub next to him. "I was about to tell you last week and then completely forgot because of the whole HYDRA thing, I'm so sorry. But when I channeled your mother, she told me a few things about your magic, that I don't think was ever told to you."

Loki stood, turning to face her, obviously alarmed. "Go on."

The fact that his naked torso was right in front of her, with the delicious "V" of his hips disappearing into his low-hanging boxer-briefs made every thought in her brain vanish for a few moments. She shook her head out. "Em. Your mom … she said, um." _Focus, Darcy, focus! But … his abs …_

She rubbed her eyes with her palms, closing them. "Frigga said that you learned to practice Asgardian magic, and because of that, your magical DNA made your body adapt to your surroundings better."

"Yes, I remember. My mother shared her magic with me, making me at least partly Vanir, along with Asgardian … and, of course … Jotun."

"Yeah. But she wasn't just talking in a physical sense. You only learned how to practice Asgardian magic. There's also Vanir and Jotun magic inside of you, lying dormant."

"_What_?" He asked, in a daze.

Darcy stood and took his hand. "I was never told exactly why you never knew, although the Jotun magic is pretty self-explanatory … but I got the feeling it was because you might become too powerful if you honed all of your abilities. Like, she didn't want Odin to fear your power … and she died before you were in the right frame of mind for her to tell you."

He looked at her, eyes stormy and intense … it unnerved her. "Don't freak out," she said.

Something inside of him seemed to click and Loki abruptly knelt before her. "I must tell you something as well."

"Okay?" she said with a shaky voice.

"Your grandmother, she revealed to me a truth. I was shown a memory of you, after your storm, the day before the car accident." He waited for her to react and she gave a slight nod of the head.

"There was a woman speaking with your father."

Darcy frowned. "I remember. I was rude to her and my dad was pissed off about it, which made him ground me." Tears began to sting at her eyes. "I always felt bad about that. She just happened to be standing next to my dad and I couldn't help running my mouth at him, he just always had that effect on me. But that's not an excuse. What did Gran say about her?"

Loki squeezed her hands. "The woman was Frigga. She must have seen a possibility that I'd love you, that our paths would meet in such a way that spurred her to intervene."

"_What_?"

"Don't freak out."

Darcy let out a short laugh of shock as she channeled Natasha. _What would the Black Widow do? Keep cool, Darcy, keep cool._

Loki stood up and stepped over to edge of the tub, sitting back down. He gestured towards her makeup bag sitting on the counter-top. "Now, no more distractions, darling. We really must be getting ready to go. We're to meet everyone in one half of an hour, correct?" He looked up at her with a slight grin on his lips.

She turned towards the mirror, dazed and confused. "Um. Yeah." She picked up her eyeliner and stared at it for a few seconds, before remembering what to do with it.

"See? We are both getting better at this … we can freak out later, at a more convenient time."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

After getting comfortable at their table in Nella's restaurant, Darcy stood to step outside for a few minutes to power up her new pre-paid phone. It was 8 o'clock. Time to call Steve.

Loki gave her a nod before she wound herself through the casual but elegant dining room, which wasn't too crowded given that it was a Tuesday evening. It made her think briefly that if she was in New York, she'd be eating tacos and drinking margaritas with Jane, and she felt a pull in her heart. Darcy missed her friend terribly, as they hadn't spent this much time apart since they started working together.

As she walked out the door and onto Burgundy St., she started pacing as she dialed the number left on her iPhone.

He answered it on the second ring. "Darcy?"

She closed her eyes and gave a sigh of relief. "_Steve_."

"It's good to hear your voice. I'm not going to talk long … are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Cap. Are you alright? People think you drowned!"

"I'm okay, I'm okay. I'm sorry I didn't contact you sooner … I really had trouble figuring out the whole pre-paid phone business."

Darcy laughed. "It's cool, I'm just so glad to hear from you."

"Listen, I need to tell you something … and it's classified."

"Gotcha."

"Fury is alive, his death was faked."

"Whoa, really?"

"Also, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been disbanded for now, until something new can be built from the ground up … and Coulson is now acting director. His team is working on it."

"Wow, good for Coulson … what about you? What will you do?"

Darcy could hear him sigh on the other end of the line. "I'm trying to find a friend of mine. I'll explain when I see you next, over a few margaritas?"

"I'd _love_ that."

"Eventually, I want to swing around to where you are, and then get the gang back together again. We have a lot to plan."

"Of course! We'd love you to have you here! Do you know where I am?"

"Clint does … we'll give you a heads up."

"Clint's okay?"

"He's fine. Is Jane alright?"

"She's stuck in Stark Tower with Thor and Tony."

"Ouch. Stuck in a tower with Tony? That can't be fun."

"Yeah … I'm pretty sure she's going insane."

"Well, the dust is starting to settle … we'll know more in a few weeks. I'm going to have to get off of here … listen, Coulson will be contacting you at some point with new orders."

Darcy did a little happy dance on the side-walk. "Orders? I'm still an agent?"

"Sure you are. You'll technically be an employee of Stark Industries now, but you're still an agent.

She did a spin and nearly knocked into a drunk tourist. "We're all still here."

"We're all still here."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Darcy returned to the table just as bottles of house red wine were served, and Nella brought out the first course in her chef's tasting menu. Everyone shared boucherie plates filled with Louisiana sausages, cured meats, and pickled vegetables. And in an attempt to fatten him up a little, she also set down a special serving of chicken and waffle bites in front of Loki, who took them most graciously … and didn't share.

She looked around the table at her friends. Scott looked as if he was glowing, filled with renewed life-force and celebrating being alive. Jules and Eshu were feeding each other alligator sausage ... and Loki seemed strangely content sitting beside her, dousing his waffle bites in praline sauce.

Scott took a big sip of his wine. "While you were on the phone Darcy, we were talking about what might have happened to that guy. The one who zapped me?"

"The prisoner. Petrakis." Darcy also took a healthy gulp of wine. "I've been way too distracted to think about it … but yeah, what would have happened to him? He obviously went to where you were supposed to go." She looked over at Loki.

"I'm afraid that Mr. Petrakis is probably no longer with us, and if he is, his mind will be gone."

"His mind was already gone," Darcy said.

Scott looked at Loki. "Is that spell still ongoing? The one looking for you?"

"I do not know. I could see a release of energy as soon as Petrakis locked eyes on me … which should have lifted the spell on everyone else as well. But I'm not sure if it's been put back up, since the wrong man was obviously sent."

"And I don't have access to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s prison records anymore ... doesn't matter anyway since HYDRA released so many people. And I can't get ahold of Ian to see what's going on abroad," Darcy said.

"Obviously the two of you still need to lay low," Jules said. "But let's enjoy dinner for now. We'll talk about it after the coconut cake."

"Sounds good to me," Darcy said. They all raised their wine glasses, toasted to being alive, and promptly drained them.

They never talked about the strange occurrence after the coconut cake, mainly because they were too stuffed to care about much. After several courses featuring creole comfort food and many glasses of wine, all they seemed to be able to talk about was childhood stories, wading through the memories of Halloween night, and debate over which zombie movies were more accurate. Such light banter was refreshing and most-welcome.

"No movie is at all accurate, but _White Zombie_ and _The Serpent and the Rainbow_ are the only ones that get even remotely close," Jules said.

"But those paint voodoo as evil," Scott said. "It's like any other earth religion."

"Yeah, but all the other movies are about zombie plagues … pandemics that take over the world. That's just ridiculous ... but I guess those are more fun," Jules added.

"I always liked the George Romero zombies, it was something different, and they left voodoo out of it. _The Night of the Living Dead_ implied radiation, now that's just hilarious." Eshu said.

"Ugh, I hate zombies, you guys … can we talk about something else? Let's move on to vampire movies," Darcy said.

"Whatever, Darcy. I see your Facebook updates every time a new episode of _The Walking Dead_ airs," Scott teased. "Something about Daryl Dixon, hottest guy in the zombie apocalypse?"

"I'll sit through it for a hot guy with a crossbow," she said, downing more wine.

"Crossbow?" Loki asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry … _daggers_. I totally dig hot guys with daggers. And the incredible aim they must have." Darcy flashed him a smile.

After dinner, they all walked back towards the hotel, happy and sated. Loki and Darcy held hands as they strolled along … Loki thinking about showing her exactly what incredible aim he had.

When they came to the next corner, they all felt a strange wind, a disturbance in The Force … Loki and Eshu sensing alien magic, and Darcy, Jules, and Scott sensing danger.

They all came to a halt, noticing a figure half a block down the street, shrouded in darkness.

"Jules," Darcy whispered. "A circle will not break."

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

XXX

AN: The whole tear thing was borrowed from the comics. Odin bound comic-book Loki to a tree until someone would shed a tear for his plight. Funnily enough, that person was Heimdall.

Shoot me a line if you notice horrifying grammatical errors. I become blind to them.

Happy October! I'm off to procure myself a pumpkin spice latte. I need one.

Let me know what you think! :-D


	30. Chapter 30

AN: Don't be surprised by what shows up, you guys. I've been hinting at it since chapter 1. Heheheheh. ;-)

XXX

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

The two gods and three humans didn't have much time for strategy, but they stood whispering on the street corner for a few seconds. The figure shrouded in darkness didn't move, but continued to wait for them to approach.

"It's The Other," Loki said. "I can smell his stench from here."

"Thanos' 'Hand of the King'?" Darcy asked. Loki's eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"This isn't the time for _Game of Thrones_ references, Darcy," Scott said. "Though, on the other hand, who or what would he be?" He had no idea what they were about to deal with and wanted a hint as to what to expect.

"Well. He'd be … an ... Other," Darcy said, and promptly winced.

Several eyebrows rose in her direction.

"I swear I'm not trying to be funny. I'll shut up now."

Eshu looked over to Loki. "St. Louis is only a few blocks away, help me take them there, and then I will go and summon Papa Guede."

Darcy felt a panic rise inside of her that went way beyond the hostile alien down the street, wanting to annihilate her boyfriend.

"Eshu, no! He'll call the dead."

"Darcy, it's consecrated ground. It's our best chance to fight a demon unfamiliar with our lands."

"But …"

Jules began to lose patience. "Darcy, you've got about two seconds to get over yourself."

Loki kept his eyes on the shadowed figure ahead, but questions started to pop up in his mind.

"Brother, what is St. Louis?"

"It's a cemetery," Eshu said.

Loki slowly turned to Darcy. "Darling … when you've said in the past that you're deathly afraid of zombies, did you mean to tell me …"

"That I was deathly afraid of fucking zombies!" she finished his sentence in a heated whisper.

Loki's widened eyes looked up to find the Earth god's, who nodded.

"Sacred ground is our best chance. Our magic is at its most powerful there. Come," Eshu said.

They quickly huddled in a tight circle and he stretched his arms around everyone, easily teleporting them across the few streets and inside of the ancient St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.

The group was standing just inside the gate, but hidden by the walls surrounding the many old tombs, vaults, and somber statues.

"I will return momentarily," Eshu said. "Brother, stay inside their circle until I get back. They will protect you."

Scott, Jules, and Darcy then formed a circle around Loki, facing outwards and holding hands, their protection spell becoming three times as strong. A circle would not break.

He looked at everyone as if they were mad. "But they're human!"

"Do not doubt their magic, Loki. I will return." And Eshu disappeared.

Already, Loki could sense The Other approaching, though he wasn't inside the gate yet. All around them stood weathered above-ground tombs, some over two-hundred years old. They were alone, as the cemetery was always closed at night and eerily silent, which added to the serious creep-factor of the place.

"Our fallen ally. Loki of Asgard," The Other could be heard saying outside the gate, his voice rough and monstrous. "You wouldn't dare leave your little circle. Would you let these mortals fight your battles?"

"Leave, creature!" Loki shouted. "This will not end well for you. You will only have to go back to The Mad Titan having failed, yet again."

Said creature then teleported inside, standing right in front of Darcy. She could see his face, if you could call it a face. It looked like it was made up of scar-tissue, but it seemed as though that's just how he was … partially hidden behind a strange metal mask. He was almost like a Sith Hannibal Lecter.

"How much energy must it have taken to send you here, I wonder? You have obviously grown weak," Loki angrily said between his teeth.

Darcy squeezed Scott and Jules' hands before talking, for courage. "You should go," she warned. "You're not going to like what's about to happen to you."

The Other cocked his head to the side. "Is this your mortal concubine, Loki? I wonder, how is it you've compelled this human beauty to do your bidding without the scepter? Certainly she is not protecting you out of her own volition."

Darcy squeezed her friend's hands again, trying to restrain her anger. "_Did that fucker just call me a mind-controlled prostitute?_"

"_What it sounded like to me,_" Jules said, in their minds.

"Hey, Space Hannibal," Darcy said with fire in her eyes. "I'm no concubine, and I'll happily walk through Hell and back for Loki, through my own free will. My mind is my own."

Don't," Loki said in a low whisper, careful not to use Darcy's name or any terms of endearment that might make The Other focus his wrath upon her, in order to torment further. Though her unyielding loyalty and words made his chest burn with emotion.

The creature stared at her for a few moments. "Perhaps you shall get your chance to walk through your Hell, though I'm quite sure you will not be happy about it," he said, moving along, walking around the circle, sizing up all three humans.

"Leave them be," Loki said, pouring as much menace into his voice as possible, feeling helpless, his wings clipped inside their protection circle.

The Other stood in front of Jules, who tried hard not to react or move a muscle, to stay emotionless. "This one can be very powerful. _He_ would like her. Perhaps I'll bring her back as a gift."

He chuckled evilly as he moved on to Scott. "And this one, his power and energy newly restored … the one who would thwart all our plans. The human that broke our vast-webbed spell spanning galaxies. And to think, the one you almost gave your life for, the one that you will quite possibly _still_ give your life for … thinks of you as a, how did you describe them, Loki … as a 'lost people'? Who 'mistake selfishness for spirit'?"

"Yeah, Loki was just kidding when he said that," Scott deadpanned.

"And _you_ know the inner workings of his mind?"

Scott gave a short harsh laugh. "'Mistake selfishness for spirit'? What does that even mean? It's obvious he was just making that shit up as he went along."

Loki put a hand on Scott's shoulder to silence him. He had already been mostly-dead that morning, he didn't want a repeat.

"Such spirit … and power … for this little Earth." The Other sent out a pulse of dark magic to test their bond.

The three held tight, only feeling slight discomfort … a light-headedness, like when you get up too fast after a night of drinking.

He sent out another pulse in a flash of electric blue, and this time it hurt, nearly knocking them off their feet, but they withstood it as their tattoos were now completely activated, sending a glowing light around them. Jules' purple blending into Scott's green … and his blending into Darcy's blue.

Jules could sense the Asgardian's aggravation. "_Hold steady guys, Eshu will be here soon … just don't let Loki out of this circle. I can tell he's itching to leave it_."

"Stay. Put. Loki." Darcy said quietly.

The creature then walked back over to Darcy and eyed her up and down. "This one is the weakest of the three, Loki … why is that?" He put his massive palms around her temples and sent another pulse through her, which made her sway where she stood.

"STOP THIS," Loki shouted, hankering to leave the circle and face him on his own. He couldn't stand and do nothing while Darcy and her friends withstood such pain.

The Other removed his strange six-fingered hands and laughed. "I see she is weakened because of _you_, and your failed battle with your brother. And your failed battle with the Dark Elves that forced her to face them." He bent down and peered at her. "Why are you loyal to this man?"

She wasn't about to explain herself to the hideous alien. "The list of reasons as to why I'm loyal to him is too long. If I told them to you, we'd be here all night, and I have no intention of being here all night," she said, strain in her voice. "And we're not the only ones loyal to him." Darcy was really hoping he would take a hint and leave … it was a total long-shot, but she was so not looking forward to what was coming.

The Other got up in her face and Darcy was reminded of Ripley in _Alien 3_, the monster right up against her skin, dripping with slime. "As if I'd fear any threat from this land," he snarled. "Any of your pathetic guardians, any of your feeble masters. Do you know how weak your god cowering behind you was?" He put his hands to Darcy's temples again, and this time the pain was too much. She cried out.

"See! See your god in all his glory. Before he had purpose."

Her eyes rolled back in her head as her ears started ringing, and she fought to remain conscious. Jules and Scott were squeezing her hands tight, trying to support her and keep her upright, but everything she was feeling, they could feel too. A series of images began to flash through her mind, each one more painful than the last. Loki, in rags, his green Asgardian regalia in shreds, barely alive, barely cognizant after they'd found him. Son of Odin, how fortuitous. They let him feel the ground beneath his feet … until they snatched it away again.

The Other showed her what they did to him … tortured him until he begged for death, flogging him, his back splayed open … then healed, only to do it all over again … until they introduced the mind gem. It was like a drug, a salvation to someone with nothing left, it was like bright blue heroin ... he became addicted, and having access to it made his mind so very malleable, and eventually, he was so very loyal. They stripped him of everything so they could build him back up, poisoning his mind, amplifying every dark emotion he ever had. He found freedom through the blue haze, discovering purpose in encountering the true power and mysteries of the Tesseract.

The Other was sending more pulses of energy through the three friends and their protection spell fought back, tearing the creature out of their minds and sending him back several paces … but they were barely able to stand up straight. Loki could stand it no longer.

"STOP THIS NOW," he growled.

Loki sent a double outside of the circle, behind The Other, to throw him off. The creature turned, and was bombarded with more copies, running among the tombs. He had no idea which was the real man in the flesh.

"Do not throw your body into any of these projections. He's just trying to get a rise out of you so you'll leave the circle. We got this," Jules whispered. "He knows he can't penetrate, it's what he's been testing."

"You are barely able to stand!" Loki felt as if he was going mad.

"Even if we cannot stand, the circle will not break," Jules persisted.

Tired of the whiplash from observing all the Loki projections, The Other turned, stalked back towards the circle, and took Darcy by the throat. He tried lifting her off the ground, but could only hold her for a few seconds before their protective magic knocked him back several feet.

"See Loki?" Darcy said, as she shook her head out. But she didn't get an answer from him, as he was using all his concentration elsewhere.

"Loki?" She turned to look inside the circle and laid eyes on one of his copies.

"_Loki!_"

After The Other had put his hand around her throat, in a split second, Loki had thrown his body into one of his projections, releasing himself from the protection of the circle. He was already behind the creature, ready to unleash his magic and finish it one way or the other … he couldn't let the humans be caught up in the crossfire for one more second.

"Leave this place now," Loki said as The Other faced him. They stalked around each other, like carnivorous animals eyeing their prey.

"I will leave and you will be coming with me, to face your fate."

"You will not be taking me to face anything. If I leave here with you, I will not be alive."

The creature gave a slight shrug. "Very well."

Scott, Jules, and Darcy watched helplessly as The Other unleashed his power on Loki, in a dark blue pulse. Loki threw his magic right back at him in a flash of green. It reminded Darcy of the battles between wizards in Harry Potter, only without wands.

"Why did he leave the circle?" Eshu appeared behind them and they all turned towards him.

"We tried," Jules said. "He wouldn't stay … the demon kept taunting him and then put his hand around Darcy's throat."

The Orisha trickster had brought Papa Guede with him, who came walking up. He was much more casually dressed than the last time they encountered him on Halloween, though he still wore his top hat. "Sorry it took me so long, Eshu said. "Papa was a little hard to find tonight. He was knee-deep in a game of poker with some fishermen out in Plaquemines Parish."

The old man gave a slight nod. "I may watch over the dead, but I also like to take money from the drunken," he said, with a smile full of bright white teeth.

His smile fell as he caught sight of the trespassing creature, and he narrowed his eyes, outraged at the intrusion into their protected lands. With a commanding presence, Papa Guede walked over to where Loki and The Other were trying to fry each other with magic. "Leave at once, demon," Guede shouted, filled with fury. "You are not welcome on this Earth and especially not in our lands."

Eshu silently stalked over in the other direction, maneuvering undetected among the tombs, until he was behind them. They had effectively surrounded the creature with two Earth gods and one Asgardian.

The Other didn't take his attention off of Loki, but addressed the Voodoo gods. "Pathetic Earth spirits … do you really think I fear you? I am powered by the Avatar of Death."

"Who is weak-sauce without all his stones!" Darcy yelled back, furious.

Loki snapped his head up and looked at her. _How did she know about all the stones?_

Papa Guede only chuckled at The Other's insults and shrugged with a grin. "You were warned, demon. Just remember, you unleashed this Hell."

As the creature began to laugh, Papa Guede released his power, sending it down into the Earth, through the rocks and soil of the cemetery, and back up through the tombs.

Darcy began to almost immediately feel the cold hand of death creeping up her spine. She began to feel pain … not physical pain, but the emotional pain of those who for some reason, could not make it past the crossroads, whose lost souls and spirits were Earth-bound … for these were the only souls that could be called in such a way.

She grabbed at Scott, holding onto his arms, hearing the voices, feeling their pain, the anger, resentment, shame, regret, and denial that weighed the spirits down.

Jules stood behind her, covering her friend's temples with her hands. "Focus, Darcy. This will be over before you know it."

Loki looked over to where Darcy stood and saw that she was struggling, Scott and Jules holding her up.

"What is wrong with her?"

"She's fine, brother. Do not release your hold," Eshu yelled.

Silently, pale figures … paler than Loki, paler than The Other himself, slowly emerged from the shadows, their close proximity wreaking havoc on Darcy's mind.

The creature began to understand the Hell that Guede warned would be released. And Loki, who hadn't known real fear since leaving the Thanos-occupied corner of Universe, started to feel it prickle at the back of his neck. Not even the Battle of New York … facing Odin's wrath, had made him feel that way. These Earth spirits were more powerful than he could ever have imagined. They held terrifying power.

Eshu noticed that his brother's magic was wavering, and he released his own magic on The Other to help him. "They obey who animates them, Loki. They've been commanded to attack only the demon. You have nothing to fear. They are not evil, only lost."

As the walking corpses began to come into view, most of them looking freshly dead due to Papa Guede's strong magic, The Other's magic finally began to falter, though he still tried to sound menacing. "Surely you do not think these wretched dead humans can do anything to me?"

The Voodoo god laughed. "You mistake brute strength for ultimate power, demon. It is not their strength that will defeat you. It is their numbers and single-mindedness. They will chip away at you. No matter what happens to them, you are still their target. They do not fear death, nor pain. You can tear off any limb, fill them with holes, stab them, but they will still crawl on their bellies toward you. You see, destroying you is their salvation," he said gravely, smiling.

"Now that's an army," Eshu said, grinning. The Other turned his head to give the Earth god a nasty stare.

"Too soon?"

As more and more of the dead came into view, Darcy was having trouble standing, their tortured souls infecting her mind, which wasn't strong enough to block them out. She silently kicked herself for not honing her magic and making it stronger. Ignoring it had only made her weak and unable to help when shit hit the fan.

"Focus on what you know is real. These feelings are not your feelings, Darcy." Jules tried to help her focus.

Loki became more and more concerned with Darcy, and his concentration on keeping The Other's magic at bay began to stall. _What was happening to her?_

"Loki!" Eshu said heatedly. "She will be fine. She is sensitive to their torment, her magic is not focused enough to block it out, but she is in no danger."

He nodded and went back to concentrating fully at his task, but he still didn't like the idea of Darcy withstanding the crippling fear she must be feeling.

At this point, they were surrounded by corpses inching forward, clothed in Midgardian finery from across the decades, and even centuries. The Other felt cornered, and worse than that, frightened. A weakness. A weakness that Thanos would not forgive. Not this time. He poured all of his energy, all of his will, everything he had into one final blow. He sent a massive pulse of dark magic straight into Loki's chest, sending him flying backwards, landing hidden among the tombs.

Eshu motioned for Scott to go find Loki, but kept his magic focused on The Other, as did Papa Guede. First twenty, then thirty of the reanimated dead encircled The Other and closed in on him, until he could be seen no more. Papa Guede and Eshu both felt the alien energy dissolve, fading into thin air … back to the dark corner of the Universe he traveled from.

With a flick of his wrist, Guede stalled the dead and they stopped in their tracks. "For hearing my call this night, for your service to the lands, you will know peace." And with another flick of the wrist, the animation ended, the dead landing haphazardly on the rocky ground.

As soon as the spirits were set free, Darcy's mind cleared. It was like a television full of blaring static and chaos had suddenly been turned to a clear channel. Sweet focus. She began to look around frantically for Loki. "Where did he go?"

"He was knocked backwards through the air … that way," Eshu motioned to a pathway lined with tombs. She ran, looking behind all of them, not able to find him, calling his name. Finally, she saw Scott's figure leaning over him, his hands on Loki's chest, as if he was administering CPR. She came up to them, practically sliding on her knees and put her hands on his face.

Scott continued to push, even though he had no idea if such a thing would work on an alien. "His heart has stopped beating," he said.

"Loki!" Darcy tried to revive him by slapping at his cheeks. "He's not responding. Loki wake up!"

Everyone started to gather around.

"Loki, wake up! Eshu, help him!"

The Earth god bent down and took Scott's place, put his glowing palms over Loki's heart and tried to restore his life force. There was strain in his face from working so much magic.

He shook his head. "He's not responding, it's the same thing as it was with Scott. His magic is alien."

Darcy wouldn't hear it, she began to pull at his shirt, shaking him. "Loki, come back!" she yelled. "I can't call up Thor and tell him that you're dead for the _THIRD TIME!_"

Jules came down on her knees behind Darcy. "Honey, have you and Loki ever shared magic?"

She shook her head, not understanding. "Huh? I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know … when like, you're together," Jules said, trying to be tactful.

"What are you talking about?"

With subtlety obviously not working, Jules put her hands on Darcy's shoulders. "_Have you and Loki ever shared magic while fucking?_"

"Oh!" Darcy said out loud. "Um. Yeah."

"Then your magic might recognize each other … try it."

She immediately closed her eyes and tried to conjure up energy for Loki, but without the proper training, she didn't really know what to do.

She got an idea. "I'm gonna tase him," she said, as a matter of fact, and started looking around for her purse.

"WHAT? Why?" Jules was starting to get worried that Darcy was losing her damn mind.

"Maybe it'll jump start his heart … he's wearing an ankle monitor that will shock him. Shit, I need my purse! It's over by the entrance, I dropped it earlier. Fuck!" she made to get off her knees and run to go get it.

Eshu conjured it out of thin air for her.

"Oh. Thanks."

Darcy fiddled around in her purse until she came up with the sleek remote control and her iPhone. She probably shouldn't have been calling anyone, but she didn't care. She scrolled through her contacts and rang Clint, since he'd told her once that if they both tased him at the same time, it would double the effect.

He answered on the third ring. "Darcy?"

"CLINT! I have no time for questions or small talk, not that you're big on that anyway. But when I tell you, push the button on your phone that tases Loki!" She pressed the speaker icon on her touch-screen and set it on the ground.

"What?! What's …"

"I SAID NO QUESTIONS. Just do it when I say!" Darcy pulled up Loki's pants leg to reveal his thin silver ankle cuff. "Okay, go!"

Darcy pressed the button on her remote control and Loki's body began to convulse, two seconds later, Clint must have pressed his because the Asgardian's back bowed in shock. After a few more seconds, they stopped.

_Nothing._

Eshu put his hands back over Loki's heart, thinking that she might be onto something, she just needed to direct the energy better. "Okay. Darcy, I'm going to help you, but you're gonna have to use your magic and channel the electricity from that ankle device and directly into his heart … my magic is a vibrational match to his, maybe if we both do it, we'll be successful this time."

Darcy looked at him and smiled. "Good plan! Okay, Scott … push that button when I say," and she slid the remote over to her friend. "Clint, do it again … now!"

They both pressed the button as she put one hand over Eshu's on Loki's heart, and one hand on his ankle bracelet. She practically tased herself, but was able to send the electricity into the target while Eshu tried to pump him with life force.

After a few seconds, they stopped.

_Still nothing._

Darcy put her ear to Loki's chest and didn't hear a sound. Jules sat behind her, hands over her mouth, not wanting to believe what she was seeing. Scott had stood up and began to pace, Eshu had his hands on his brother's temples, head bowed … and Papa Guede had silently walked back over to the pile of dead to send them back to their resting place, letting the group have their privacy to grieve.

"Come on, Loki, don't do this! You're my heart-song. You're my heart-symphony. You're my heart-STAIRWAY TO FUCKING HEAVEN!"

"Loki WAKE UP." Darcy straddled him and started to shake his shoulders, tears streaming down her face. She put her hands on his cheeks and bent down to give him a kiss, but he was still completely unresponsive. She buried her head in his neck.

"Wake up," she whispered. "I'll recite love poetry every day. I'll learn Shakespeare. I'll learn Asgardian stuff. I'll do anything. We can stay in bed all day tomorrow, all week, hell I won't even eat. I won't turn the TV on … won't touch my computer or my phone. I'm all yours, completely yours, even my boobs, you can totally have them. I love you. I love you. I love you. _Come back_." Darcy began to feel her magic expand in her throat as she focused on it, forcing herself to relax and concentrate.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

_Loki was lying in the sand, by the edge of the water … he could feel its waves wash over him like a rhythmic lullaby. He could hear only the sound of the ocean. So tired. But it was so peaceful._

_A figure stood over him, looking down._

_Frigga._

_His eyes were barely open, but he could see her. "Mother."_

_Frigga smiled and closed her eyes. "My son." She opened them and the corner of her mouth turned up into a smirk. "That's twice now dearest, that you've sacrificed yourself for others … are we making this a trend?" she teased._

_Loki looked up … saw impossible beauty and millions of stars ahead. He struggled to sit up and couldn't. "Am I …?"_

_She shook her head. "No. But you will be soon if you don't act in the next minute. And just like I could only give my magic once, I could only shield you from death once. You will need to choose this time."_

_"Choose?"_

_Frigga nodded. "You can know perfect peace here. Or you can know love there. No decision is the right or wrong one, just yours."_

_At many points in his life, he would have desperately held onto this place, but now could only think of the past several weeks and what had happened. The strange developing friendships … Darcy._

_"I will go back. But my magic is depleted, I can feel it."_

_Frigga sat down on her knees beside him. "You must find the magic buried deep down. The Vanir. The Jotun … and the Earth's magic. They will save you."_

_"I do not have earthen magic."_

_"But you do. You have shared magic with her." She rose an eyebrow, and Loki all of a sudden knew what she was talking about. Was it possible to blush in the in-between?_

_His mother looked off into the distance for a moment. "She fights for you. She is keeping you alive, but you do not have long. Only seconds."_

_Loki searched for her hands and Frigga took hold of them. "Mother. Will I see you again?" He almost didn't want to leave, to go back. He almost wanted to stay and know perfect peace. Finally._

_Almost. But not quite yet._

_"Of course you will see me again. And lucky you, she is a medium. You will help her to focus, and I will be here."_

_Loki nodded and closed his eyes … letting it all go, his mind, all his memories, all the pain, all the destruction. He stripped it all away until there was barely anything left, until he could see it. The untapped well. He could feel the magic … and recognized Darcy's, calling desperately to him. He opened his eyes to look at his mother once more._

_"I found it." He let himself be drawn back into the physical world._

_Frigga smiled and she began to sound further away. "The answer to your question … is, yes. Very."_

_As the stars faded and he was pulled back to the Earth, he remembered the question she must have been answering. "Hello, Mother … have I made you ...?"_

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

He woke up feeling like Bruce Banner's alter-ego had thrashed him around again, but this time he had someone's soft arms around him, and soft hair that smelled of exotic flowers, tickling his cheek …

"Darcy."

She sat straight up and gasped. "Loki!"

He tried to sit up, and she helped him, with a frantic expression on her face. Darcy then held onto him tight and thoroughly fell to pieces, crying uncontrollably.

"_Loki._"

"Shhh, shhh, my darling. It's alright."

"You can't do that again," she sobbed.

"I'm not planning to."

"I thought you were gone."

"No, no. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere," his voice cracked.

"I love you so much."

He looked up and saw that there were people standing, surrounding him, looking at him, focused only on him. He was eerily reminded of something.

"If it's all the same to you, I think I'll have that drink now," Loki said, and he began to laugh weakly at the inside joke with himself.

These people had no weapons pointed at him though, all they had were faces full of relief that he was alive. A very strange sight. _Friends_.

Eshu conjured up a glass of clear liquid with lime, and Loki began to laugh even harder, though it hurt to do so.

"That's not water, it's gin … but you got your lime, because I gather you're pretty bougie too," Eshu said, with a big grin on his face. Scott and Jules looked at him with equally huge smiles.

Loki accepted the drink with a nod and took a sip, even though Darcy still had an iron-grip hold around him. He was still laughing, not quite believing what had happened.

"_Nerd_," Darcy said, her head still buried in his neck.

He set the drink down and wrapped his arms tightly around her, rocking her gently.

"I love you, too."

* * *

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

XXX

AN: I'd put a link here, but this website kind of blows in many ways ... but if you don't know what New Orleans cemeteries look like, they're hella cool and beautiful and pretty creepy. All above-ground tombs, because of the swampy land, you can't really bury anything without the chance that it'll come right back up after a nice hard rain. Just google images for St. Louis Cemetery no. 1. It's where Marie Laveau is believed to be buried.

We're still not quite done, but almost. Clint is going to wonder what the hell is going on, and the group is going to want to know answers about what's going on with Thanos and The Other, and whether or not they will return.

My workload is finally lightening and I have a few days off coming up, so I'll be able to get this thing finished pretty quick. Hopefully. If my friends don't convince me to drink several pitchers with them at the corner bar, that is. It's entirely possible ;-) And I'm no Ernest Hemingway ... I can't write and drink at the same time. I've tried. Ha.

Anyway, please review if you have a spare sec. Let me know what you think. Next chapter will be hella fun. The MCU characters will return.

p.s. Oh, and if you've found me on Tumblr and tried to message me, I am Tumblr-stupid and apparently have no idea how messages work, so most of them have disappeared into the ether. I swear, I've written everyone back, I guess I just pressed the wrong button? I don't know. Whatever. I'm anniemar over there too, if you find me. I think I finally have it figured out. Maybe ;-)


	31. Chapter 31

AN: Ask and ye shall receive! I was wondering if I should break up my last 10,000 word chapter into two parts ... so I asked on Tumblr. So like the last two Harry Potter movies, I'm breaking it up to draw this thing out ;-)

Hope that's cool.

And just a warning ... if you haven't seen _Guardians of the Galaxy_ (and if you haven't, seriously what's wrong with you, get to the theater now! IT'S SO GOOD) and want to stay unspoiled, there's some spoilers in the third section of the chapter. Read with caution.

XXX

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

After the battle in the cemetery, instead of taking Loki back to the hotel, Darcy insisted on going back to her grandmother's house, since it was cozier and roomier. He needed a nice and welcoming place to recuperate. It was also time to take some responsibility for it, as she'd inherited it years ago. And since those that had the ability to teleport had depleted most, if not all, of their magic, the group had to travel there like any other normal person … by cab.

Darcy knew she'd have to call her dad eventually, and let him know she was in town, since the house was in the same Garden District neighborhood that he lived in, but then again … it wasn't like he was ever home. It would be a bit of a shock, however, if the maid he sent to keep the place up to snuff, suddenly walked in on Levi Lewis' daughter and the Norse God of Mischief playing house.

Jules had called Miss Ramona to inform her about what had happened in the cemetery, and she met them at the front steps. The priestess had gone inside to make sure everything was in order, and turned turned the lights on, so they wouldn't have to walk into a dark house with sheets across the furniture. She'd had her own set of keys from back when she and Darcy's grandmother were best friends, and took care of each other's cats while each was away. As she came up the walk-way, Darcy looked at the big beautiful white house, the first-floor windows softly illuminated by the antique chandeliers inside. It was almost as if nothing had changed since it had been her haven … but things couldn't really be more different, and she was actually okay with that.

Eshu and Scott had to practically carry Loki inside, supporting him between them and throwing his arms over their shoulders. After the adrenaline from waking up alive had worn off, he found that he'd been considerably weakened, and in quite a bit of pain. He and The Other had thoroughly fried each other with their magic.

"The demon is gone?" Miss Ramona asked.

"He's gone," Eshu said, as the guys made it up the steps to the wrap-around porch. "But he still lives, though I'm not sure for how long. He had to have been considerably weakened by the last blow he dealt to Loki. It was a desperate blow. That, plus everything we gave him … I'm not sure how he made it back."

"The Other knew that if he went back to Thanos having failed, he wouldn't live to see another day anyway, so he gave everything he had," Loki said, barely able to speak.

After the group made it through the door and into the foyer, Darcy looked around at the familiar setting, exactly the same as it always was, with Evelyn's eclectic tastes still apparent. The antique furniture mixed with the more modern stuff, the old photographs in ornate frames and contemporary paintings on the walls … the smooth and artfully twisty wooden bannister on the old staircase.

She guided everyone into the living room, or the parlor, as her Gran liked to call it. "Here, put him in the chair." They plopped Loki down in her grandmother's favorite cozy and stylish Lazyboy, that you could prop your feet up on. Everyone else sat down on the couch or loveseat.

Jules looked at Loki with concern. "Can we do anything to heal him? Give him some energy back? He's pretty much depleted. And so is Eshu."

Eshu nodded. "It's going to take me a week to get back to normal, what with healing Scott and fighting the demon, but I'll be fine. Loki needs a jump though."

Miss Ramona took a moment to think, and addressed the humans. "The three of you are fine, correct? You didn't deplete yourselves?"

"We're fine," Jules said. "Loki left our circle before we would have needed to use most of our magic. We can help to revive them."

"No," the priestess said.

"But he can barely sit up on his own," Jules exclaimed, pointing at Loki.

Miss Ramona shook her head. "I'm going to need your help elsewhere. Loki may be depleted, but he'll live … he's just going to have to rest for a few days, and take lots of naps. We need to find out what's going on outside of our realm, and if the demon and his master plan to make more visits. We need to know their scheme."

Darcy wanted to help out her man, but she agreed. "I saw a bit of their plan when I was looking for Scott in the in-between. I searched the dark energy that was blocking him. They're searching for stones that are all equal in power to the Tesseract, but they do different things. The Aether was actually one of them ... and the mind gem."

Talk of the stones made Darcy think of something. "Loki, what happened to your scepter?"

"The last time I saw it, Natasha Romanov held it," Loki said, too weak to be properly taken aback at Darcy's knowledge of the Infinity Stones.

"So S.H.I.E.L.D. had it." A panic rose inside of her. "If it was kept in a place like The Fridge, HYDRA now has it.

Darcy took a deep breath. "I guess we'll worry about that tomorrow … but before Ivy pulled me back from going too far into the dark energy, I saw that Thanos was looking for a purple stone … and if he gets ahold of the new stone, it'll make it easier to find the others. He could use it to lay waste to Asgard and just take the Tesseract."

She put her fingers on her temples, to massage the headache that had been present since experiencing the torment of the dead. "This is just something so big that I can't even wrap my head around it. I'm having trouble grasping it all. My mind is blown … and I feel like my brains are splattered all over the walls."

Miss Ramona stood and walked over to Darcy. She put a hand on her forehead, sending relief from the pounding pain. "This is why I'll need your help. Get some rest, plenty of sleep, do everything you can to get strong. No exertion! After at least 48 hours, we'll hold a circle, and we'll take a glimpse into what their plans are." She looked at Darcy, Jules, and Scott. "You can say no, of course. It will take a lot out of all of us, like when you received your tattoos, you will need a substantial recovery period. You will sleep for several days after."

All three nodded. "We'll do it," Jules said.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

"When you said we could lay in bed all week … this isn't exactly what I was picturing."

"You heard that?"

They had moved into the master bedroom, where Loki had been recovering and Darcy was attempting to gather strength. The room was a lot like the one they shared at the hotel, with a four-poster bed and big french windows … but this one also had a giant television, perfect for their task of lounging around.

He'd been in too much pain to do much except binge-watch episodes of _Game of Thrones_ and complain, but on the second day started to feel better … though was still pretty sickly. For some strange reason, it comforted Darcy to discover that Asgardian men were just like human men … big fat babies when they were ill. Perhaps the people across the realms were not so different after all.

Loki had tried to describe what had happened while he was unconscious. "After searching for my magic, I could hear you calling to me. Only bits and pieces though."

"Well … we're in bed … so, I don't know what you're belly-aching about."

"I wished to be doing other things besides just laying here and watching television."

Darcy rolled her eyes … he was even a sex-fiend when he was sick, even if there was no way he had the energy for it. "Hey, this is awesome. We've been practically ordered to veg out for a few days. That's our only job right now, _to do nothing_. It's nice work if you can get it. And we got it!"

Darcy had been doing her best to get stronger, and to get Loki back to feeling a little better, without the exchange of energy or magic. She decided to go on a temporary raw diet, vegging out in every sense of the word, and had been downstairs in the kitchen making green smoothies. Spinach, bananas, bee pollen, and spirulina had all been thrown into a Vitamix and blended into green goodness, filled with enzymes and sciency stuff that was oh so healthy. She'd walked into the room and bounced on the bed next to her incredibly gorgeous, but incredibly weakened boyfriend.

Darcy sipped at her smoothie with a straw, and Loki slowly sat up to gingerly take a sip.

"Darling, this is disgusting."

She gasped. "It's not disgusting! And it will help you feel better, you need vitamins and minerals … it's not supposed to taste like a Sprite, and the bananas make it sweet … besides, it's green … I thought you'd like it," she grinned at him.

"Hn. I was under the impression that you could cook. Thor has even said you make quite a chef, and can prepare an impressive breakfast. I was hoping now that you had a kitchen at your disposal, you would show me … but I'm afraid I was wrong. I now have no hope."

Darcy squinted at him. "You're trying to get out of drinking that by insulting my smoothie-making abilities, hoping I'll go back downstairs and make something sugary and fatty … it won't work. I'm onto you."

Loki took another sip, wincing. "Fine. But what do I get if I finish this infernal drink?"

She smiled. "You get to feel better."

He rolled his eyes and collapsed backwards on the bed.

"I'm just trying to take care of you," she said, becoming serious. "You scared me. I've never been that scared."

Loki eyed her for a moment. "I never quite understood until now, but I see it. My mother could talk Odin into practically anything. And now you are trying to guilt me into drinking this green monstrosity." He lifted his hand to point at her. "I see you."

Darcy shrugged. "Weird. It seems like we're unable to manipulate each other, then." She arched a brow. "But you've never had a girlfriend try to take care of you before? Someone who loved you and made you breakfast in bed? Made you take your medicine?"

He thought for a second. "No. But we always had servants for that." He looked down. "And the only girl I could say I loved, would have never been allowed to be seen tending to a prince in such a way."

She tilted her head. "Who was your first love?"

"Are you sure you want to discuss this?"

Darcy shrugged. "I've never really been the jealous type … though I am the curious type."

Loki took this into consideration for a second. In his experience, talking about former lovers to a current lover was never a good idea.

He took a deep breath and went against his better judgement. "She was a librarian in the palace."

Darcy remembered this from Frigga's vision. The librarian who wasn't of noble birth … the girl he hadn't been permitted to officially pursue.

She grinned at him. "Kinky."

He smiled back. "What makes you say this?"

"Well, here on Earth … it's one of those professions that guys find kinda hot. You know, 'it's always the quiet ones' kind of thing. They usually wear glasses, is smart, unassuming, all proper and stern … and then a total sex-kitten behind the bookcases in the restricted section."

Loki laughed. "It certainly is not that way on Asgard. Librarians are thought to be like any other servant … the maids, the kitchen girls, and the like."

"Maids can be hot. The nurse is another one. There's a lot of nurse and librarian role-play that goes on around here, on Midgard. Is there a 'healer' fetish on Asgard?"

He thought for a second. "Now that one, yes. But I believe that has to do with their position of power. They are highly respected women. I believe those that like to be … shall we way, dominated, tend to gravitate towards the healers with their fantasies."

"I see," Darcy said. "So … how old were you when you lost it?"

"Lost it?"

"You know … '_it_' … your virginity."

Loki's eyes widened. He wasn't used to women being so nonchalant at talking about such things. "Em. Time is a bit different on Midgard … our youth lasts a bit longer on Asgard. It's relative, you see."

Darcy looked confused. "So you stay a teenager for like, years and years? _That_ … sounds horrific. Wait … so you're trying to tell me that you were like, over 100 years old or something? When you lost your virginity?" She pursed her lips together to keep from laughing.

"I was 128."

She couldn't hold it in … she bent over in hysterics, trying to silence herself by giggling into a pillow.

"I'm honored to see this is so entertaining for you," he said in a flat tone, dripping with sarcasm.

Darcy calmed down a bit and looked up. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry … so is 128 normal?"

"It's respectable," he said, haughtily.

"Sorry," she said, still shaking. She shook her head. "So you lost it to the librarian?"

"I did." Loki stuck out his chin, in that indignant way of his. "It was certainly much more preferable than the string of courtesans that Thor tried sending to my rooms."

She put her hand on top of his, and her eyebrows practically raised to her hairline. "Thor tried to get you prostitutes?"

"It wasn't unheard of for royals and nobles … but at the time, I had a strange desire to be with someone who wanted to be with me. Not paid to be with me."

Darcy stuck out her lower lip. _The poor thing_. "Oh, honey. You're adorable. I just … I just can't even sometimes. You're such a contradiction … The God of Mischief and Lies, who at the end of the day, likes to cuddle under the blankets … and not just get his rocks off." She reached up and patted his shoulder.

He blinked at her. "Darling, this is a very strange conversation. Usually talk of the past in regards to love and lovers, isn't described as '_adorable_'. It usually results in valuables being thrown at me, broken furniture, and ear-piercing screeching."

She shrugged. "Everyone has a past. We're here, right now. As long as we're faithful to each other, I don't care about what happened when you were the Asgardian version of being 16 years old."

Loki narrowed his eyes at her. "How old were you?"

She smiled at his turning of the tables. "The ultimate deed? I was 18. A respectable human age … though probably not exactly average, in the early 21st century."

"What is average?"

"Probably more like 16."

"What made you wait?"

She looked up, pondering the question. "I don't know … I had this weird thing where I wanted to find the right guy."

"Did you?"

She scrunched her lips together in thought. "I suppose so. I don't regret it, which is a lot more than some people can say."

"And who was this lucky lad?" he said, with an edge in his voice.

Darcy thought for a second. She wasn't the jealous type … but then again, she wasn't on Asgard either, she didn't exactly have to run into any of his former lovers, so it was easy to not care much. Loki on the other hand, seemed to get jealous pretty easily … but she decided to tell him, since he'd done so for her.

"Um. He was a bartender at the restaurant I worked at. We had a good summer."

"A tavern boy?"

She laughed. "I guess. We call them bartenders, Loki. And no, you haven't met him at any of the bars we've been to."

He looked at her suspiciously. "What happened? If you had such a good summer …"

Darcy shrugged. "Nothing really _happened_ between us. That was the summer of the storm, and everyone just kind of dispersed for awhile. We lost touch. I went off to college … I never wanted to marry the guy or anything. I mean, he was dumber than a box of rocks … but he was 22 at the time, you know, older. Kinda wild." He had also been incredibly good-looking, which had helped her to look past his lack of intelligence, though she left that part out.

Loki's mouth twitched a bit. "And what would happen if you saw this person, now?"

She smiled big. "I'd say 'hi' … and then I'd be like, 'hey, have you met my devastatingly gorgeous and undeniably brilliant boyfriend? He's better than you in every possible way'," she said. "Is that what you want to hear?"

He shrugged. "It's a start."

Darcy leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder, propped up so they could watch TV, and stop talking about past love-lives. She picked up the remote and began to flip through the channels. She ended up finding _Ghostbusters_.

"Score! I'm making you watch this … you can see Gozer the Gozerian, and now you'll know why Jane says '_back off man, I'm a scientist!_', all the time. Oh, and when some shit goes down, like things are melting in the lab, or we set off some kind of alarm, we're like, '_Dogs and cats, living together! Mass hysteria!_' … that's another fun quote."

Loki turned his head and peered at her through the slits of his blue-green eyes. "Are you going to recite the lines like you did … to the movie about the prince who comes to America?"

"Hm. I'll try not to, but I'm not making any promises … now drink the rest of your smoothie so we can watch the movie."

He gave her a harsh stare, but picked the glass up off the bedside table and downed it, grimacing.

She then reached down and untied the drawstrings on his pajama bottoms. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Darcy looked up at him with innocent eyes. "I told you, that if you drank your green smoothie, you'd feel better. I'm now going to make you feel better." She climbed over him and began to nudge the fabric down his hips, leaning down to brush her lips across and rub her cheek against his length, which started to immediately grow hard. She was rather impressed, given how weakened he'd been.

Loki threaded his fingers through her hair as she put her tongue, and then her mouth on him. "If I would have known this was what you meant … ungh ..." He then gave a sharp intake of breath. "I would have … finished the damn thing … a long time ago … mmmmmmnnnn. _Gods_, you're good at that."

She let go and sat back up. "I am?"

He looked at her a bit desperately. "I did not mean to imply that you should stop, darling."

The corner of Darcy's mouth turned up into an impish grin. "Sorry." And she went back to her work.

"That's quite … sssssss," he hissed. "Alright," he managed to say, as his eyes rolled back in his head.

Before losing himself completely, Loki silently thanked Valhalla for Midgardian women. Unlike their more conservative Asgardian counterparts, many ladies of the Earth didn't seem to have qualms about seeking pleasure, allowing themselves to enjoy it, and happily returning it. It was almost maddeningly enticing and addicting.

_What in Helheim has become of me_, he thought.

But whatever it was, he was completely content with it.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

When it was time to hold the circle a few days later, Loki insisted on being present, even though he was still weak and having trouble walking, though his color was better. Scott and Darcy helped him down the stairs and into the sunroom. It was where Evelyn had kept her elaborate altar, and everything was still in its place … all her little statues, candles, treasured photographs, and mementos.

Of the four participating, only Miss Ramona would be strong enough to go a little while without resting afterward, so Scott and Jules planned to stay for a few days, each claiming one of the guest bedrooms.

At dusk, they sat at a table lit up with candles, and Loki sat in a comfortable chair in the corner, in order to observe.

One by one they took each other's hands.

"Our intention this evening," Miss Ramona began, "is to know if the demon that trespassed on our lands survived. What his plans are. If we need to brace ourselves for another fight, so that we will be better prepared. Spirits, hear us. Aid us."

The four closed their eyes, and began to chant softly in a language that Loki didn't understand, asking the spirits to open the gates of knowledge. As the chanting grew louder, each let their magic and energy expand, until a circle of colored light surrounded them.

After enough energy was raised, their chanting stopped, and they opened their eyes … but only the whites were showing, no irises or pupils … as they were looking upon something else … seeing something that was not in the room, or even in this world …

_They began to see the far-off galaxy, Thanos' sanctuary, his domain … the area of space that Darcy had seen in visions, and where Loki had been during his madness. The Other returned terribly weakened, barely able to get back in one piece. This frailty is what made him so easily breakable._

_Thanos' new minion, the man shrouded in strange armor, easily turned traitorous as soon as he felt the new stone's power. Instead of an enticing haze of blue, it was a glowing seductive purple. He was able to snap The Other's neck with barely any effort at all._

_And Thanos was still without any stones._

_But what of the new minion …_

_They had to look even deeper into space._

After what seemed like hours had passed, and it was full-dark outside, the candles that had illuminated the room suddenly extinguished themselves, and the glowing energy surrounding the circle, gradually faded away. The four slowly closed their eyes, and opened them again, this time with their normal irises.

Miss Ramona snapped and a soft lamp turned on.

As they blinked and shook their heads out, Scott's lips slowly turned up into a huge lazy smile. "Cuuuuuute," he said.

Jules nodded tiredly as she let go of Darcy and Miss Ramona's hands. "Very cute. And he was one of us."

"He was at least half-human," Miss Ramona said.

"Who was half-human?" Loki asked, beyond curious as to what they saw.

Darcy looked at him, a bit dazed. "The guy that pretty much saved the universe, though he had a lot of help. What was that … was he … _dancing_?"

"He was totally dancing," Scott said. "Humans are so awesome. Remember that, Loki."

"Pardon?" Loki leaned forward in his chair.

"The new minion is dead," Darcy said tiredly.

Miss Ramona looked at Loki to explain, since the other three were probably too exhausted to make much sense. "You're safe for now, Loki. The demon was killed … and with him dead, you are not Thanos' first priority any longer. He's more focused on his daughters who have betrayed him … and he is still without stones. The Tesseract is safe … The Orb is safe … The Aether … not so safe. The scepter is with HYDRA." The priestess turned to her granddaughter. "I'll have to consult with him first … before I can take my rest. He needs to know."

"Do you need any help reaching him?" Jules asked.

"No, child. We don't need to communicate in such ways anymore. Speaking through flames and smoke all stopped with the invention of Skype. It's much less taxing," the priestess said with a grin. "Come, you should sleep."

Scott and Jules groggily walked off to the guest rooms, while Loki and Darcy stumbled like a pair of zombies up to their bed. He helped her to get under the covers as much as he could, as he was only weak, not exactly tired. She promptly crashed, but before she properly dozed off, he tried to ask her a few more questions.

"Who was it that Ramona needed to talk to?"

"Hmmm." She was barely conscious and fighting to stay awake a few seconds longer to talk to him. "I guess he's kinda like Miss Ramona's boss, but not really … he's the main magic dude. The head honcho. The Sorcerer Supreme."

Loki's brow furrowed and he tilted his head slightly. "The Sorcerer Supreme. I have not heard of this man."

"Well, you wouldn't, Asgardian."

"He's an important keeper of magic on Earth?"

"Hmmm." She shook her head, her last thought being that she probably shouldn't be talking about it. "You don't gotta worry about him … he's just a doctor named Steve," she said, right before she passed out cold.

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

XXX

XX

X

AN: Bonus points if you know who Dr. Steve is ;-)

There was an easter egg in The Winter Soldier about him, as he was among the list of people scheduled to be eliminated by the hellicarriers.

Anyway. I'll be traveling up north tomorrow to visit with my family and to see some proper fall colors on the trees ... and to enjoy some actual football weather. It's still in the 80's in New Orleans and it's driving me insane. Hmm ... there's not gonna be a ton to do at my parent's house in Ohio ... except break out my lap top ;-)

Part 2, very soon, you guys. Very soon.


	32. Chapter 32

This is the end ... my only friend, the end ;-)

Well, sort of. Still 2 epilogues left.

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

Darcy was in and out of consciousness for days. Loki would wake her up and force some food and water down her throat, and she would get up to use the bathroom … but other than that, she slept hard. Much longer than Jules and Scott … so much so, that Loki started to get worried.

Jules tried to reassure him, told him that it would take Darcy longer to recover because she wasn't as powerful, wasn't as strong … she'd need more time.

They took turns sitting with her, becoming a bit alarmed when after a few more days, she still hadn't woken up … she actually seemed to have fallen into an even deeper sleep.

Loki sat next to her on his side of the bed. "Darling. I hope you don't mind, but your phone was ringing incessantly … so I answered it, and Jane Foster was on the other end. It seems that Thor will wait no longer to see me … as if I were a child that needed to be looked after. If we are to be receiving Thor and Jane here, within the next few days, I need you to be awake. I cannot be expected to entertain these people alone."

He looked down and stroked her hair lightly. "The other piece of bad news … which incidentally, might not be altogether bad news for you, is that Clint Barton and Steve Rogers will also be making an appearance. Clint Barton, of course, knows where we are … and he and the captain have been traveling together, so … as you say, they'll be "swinging by". It seems that Barton became extremely concerned after that phone call in the cemetery he received, and he wants to be filled in on the details."

He gently poked at her shoulder with his finger. "So with this turn of events, I simply forbid you to sleep any longer."

Darcy didn't budge, her breathing still deep and even.

"Darling?"

_Still nothing._

Loki sighed. "Really, I don't know why I put up with such insolence."

Jules knocked softly on the door frame and walked in, sitting on the other side of the bed, next to Darcy. "She's told me that her dreams can sort of be like that movie _Inception_. Like, they're so vivid, they seem real. She might be having trouble differentiating between what's a dream and what's reality. She's always so disoriented when she wakes up from one of those dreams."

"That does not sound like a good thing. Can we wake her somehow?

She shook her head. "It's better if we don't. We should let it happen naturally. She'll be okay … she'll find her way back. Maybe if we start brewing coffee up here, she'll wake up. Or we could start playing speed metal."

Jules took her hand. "Hooker, we really need you to wake up. Your friends are coming, and it just isn't right to ignore your guests by sleeping through their visit. What would your gran say? You know she'd say it was very un-Southern to be rude to your guests."

She began to massage her friend's palm. "If you wake up, we can have a Matthew McConaughey night. We're long over due for a Matthew McConaughey night."

"What in The Nine is that?"

Jules gave a short laugh. "It's just something we call a drum circle. Matthew McConaughey once got arrested for smoking pot while playing the bongos … naked. We don't normally dance around in the buff, but sometimes we smoke up. It's fun."

Loki didn't like the idea, especially the nude dancing part … in front of certain people. "Perhaps this isn't something that should be done in front of members of the Avengers."

She shrugged. "Well … they can join in."

"These are not the type of people who like participate in such things … things that other people would describe as 'fun'."

"Would you dance with us?"

"Ah. No."

"Sounds like you hate fun too."

Jules brushed a section of Darcy's hair behind her ear. "Honey, it's time to wake up."

Darcy could actually feel the pull of them … she was somewhere between sleep and awake, she just didn't want to open her eyes yet. She felt disoriented. So strange.

_"You should go with Loki."_

_"Where?"_

_"Back home with him ... "_

_"But he's banished."_

_"Not for long."_

No, not yet. Just a few more hours … just a few more … still so tired. So comfortable here. It felt like everyone was here. Everyone was alive.

The next day, she could hear Jane's voice. She really should be getting up … Jane is a guest, but this is still so nice. So comfortable.

"It's so good to see you, even if you're asleep. Loki kinda filled us in on why you're passed out, though I really need to hear your side of the story, I mean … zombies? How is that even possible. Are you sure you weren't administered some kind of hallucinogen? LSD?"

"Anyway, Thor has Loki showing him around … I think they actually sneaked away to a bar, so Thor could watch football. Being stuck in our apartment gave him the chance to become an expert. It's actually gotten really annoying … he's the type that yells at the TV, as if the players can hear him or something … and he actually threw a chair against the wall when the Giants lost the other week. If Thor ever sees Eli Manning out on the street, he's in trouble."

Darcy wanted to say "hi" to Jane … but she also just wanted to stay in bed for 15 more minutes … or perhaps another hour. Just another hour.

_"Why should I go with him?"_

_"Because I cannot see possibilities in your future if you stay, but I can see them if you go."_

_"You mean I could die here? What's going to happen?"_

_"I cannot say … but there will be a great battle. There is nothing you can do to prevent it. And you cannot be a part of it."_

_"Aliens?"_

_"No. Tampering with the order of things, with nature … will cause this battle."_

Thor's voice came next.

"I'm happy to report that your Saints won today, Darcy … but my brother is getting very anxious and he worries for you. Do try to wake up? I could always get Bruce Banner to come here. His hulk-man screamed in Tony Stark's face, and it is what woke him up after the Battle of New York. He didn't scare him to _death_, he scared him to _life!_" She could hear Thor laughing at his own joke. "We can always try it," he said.

"Though perhaps we should leave Banner in New York with Tony Stark. Loki did mention that he'd like to kill the poor fellow … though let us hope it was all in jest, shall we?

Darcy really needed to wake up … but 5 more minutes. That's all. 5 minutes.

_"Tampering? Like destroying the environment, cutting down the rain forest, endangering animals? Carbon footprints? That kind of thing?"_

_"No. Hubris."_

_"Why can't you just tell me?"_

_"Because there are always endless possibilities. I can only see 'probably', not 'definitely'."_

_"Ugh. Fine."_

It all must have been a dream .. because Steve was talking to her … so she didn't need to worry about waking up in 15 minutes … she had at least a couple more hours. None of this was real.

"Hey Darcy … it's me, Steve." He hesitated, but then reached out to take her hand, even though he felt extremely awkward visiting, with Loki hovering behind him. The man refused to leave him alone in the same room with her.

"Your friend Jules said we could have a party when you wake up. Now, I don't know about you, but I could really go for a party. She's downstairs making a big Thanksgiving dinner for everyone. We told her that she didn't need to fuss over us, but she insisted. Your friend Scott is serving everyone tea and sandwiches to hold us over. They're extremely hospitable."

Loki started to grow tired of the captain's inane ramblings. "I think that's quite enough Steve Rogers, she needs her rest," he said, as he practically pushed Steve out the door.

"But I thought she …" and the door was promptly shut in his face. No one would ever accuse Loki of having an overabundance of hospitality.

He walked over and sat in the chair next to their bed. "This is what's real, darling. Whatever is going on inside that head of yours, isn't real." He picked up Darcy's hand and kissed it. "You are starting to frighten me," he whispered.

_"I'm so glad you're finally making use of the house. It really needed to be lived in. It needs your warmth. It needs new memories."_

_"I thought you wanted me to go with Loki."_

_"You have some time … and you can always come back. Always."_

_"I love you."_

_"I love you too, baby. Now, you really should wake up … you don't want to make your friends uncomfortable by sleeping all day and ignoring them. You should never let guests feel uncomfortable. It's un-Southern."_

Darcy shot straight up in bed, alone in her room … though she could tell other people were in the house, because it smelled like a million yummy things were being prepared downstairs. Meat … bread … pie. Someone was cooking.

She frantically searched for either of her phones and couldn't find them … she needed to know the date, the time. Darcy picked up the remote off the bedside table. She turned the TV on to look at the guide, and saw what day it was. Lots of football. Thanksgiving football.

_Holy shit, I slept for two weeks?!_

She got out of bed, wobbling a bit from her legs not being in use. She walked over to her chest of drawers to get some fresh under clothes, and went into the bathroom to wash off. She scrubbed and splashed water on her face, brushed her teeth, her hair … all the things that would wake her up and make her feel more human. The last thing was coffee … she really needed coffee.

After she came out of the bathroom, to look for a pair of jeans to throw on, Loki opened the door to see the bed empty. He looked across the room, and saw her bending over, searching through her bottom drawer, in a pair of Wonder Woman underwear. It was such a welcoming and inviting sight.

"Darcy."

She immediately straightened and turned around. "Hey!" she smiled, radiant, as she'd just gotten two weeks of beauty rest. "Sorry I slept for so long ... do you know if there's coffee?" She was also starving, and the aroma from yummy, starchy, and sugary things was driving her crazy.

Loki would have liked to go get her coffee, he really would have, but it didn't seem like his legs would let him. She was awake. And beautiful. And so alive. And he was much too enamored by seeing her standing there in nothing but a form-fitting white t-shirt, and bright red underwear.

"Are you ... well?" He wondered what had made her all of a sudden wake up.

Darcy tried to give him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine ... I was just having some weird dreams, I'll tell you about it later. Right now, I need coffee, like it would be best if it could be shot directly into a vein."

Her sometimes irritating, but usually charming addiction to the Midgardian beverage, reminded him of just how much he'd missed her. Her company, their banter, the little discoveries they were still making about each other. He shut the door. "Darcy. I need …"

She inclined her head. "Are there people downstairs?"

Loki didn't care about the people downstairs. He walked across the room in just a few long strides, pulled her against him, and kissed her. He kissed her a bit frantically, his tongue searching hers out … and he gave a small groan when he found it. She opened to him, returning the kiss, responding, and relief washed over his body, only to be filled with a desperate burning desire to fuck her brains out.

He sucked on her lower lip and slowly released it between his teeth.

All thoughts of coffee disappeared from her head ... _seriously, who needed that shit? Nobody._ She vaguely remembered that he needed something. She searched his eyes, "what do you need?"

"To touch you. And when I tell you so … you will be on top," he said, in his smoky baritone.

"Why?"

His features grew dark, like a shadow had descended across his face. "Because I do what I want."

Darcy could only nod her head at that.

She found that his words were making it hard to breath, and her brain was a bit foggy from the sudden desire that punched her in the stomach, and spread lower … but she managed to come up with the sentence she wanted to say. "Are you … feeling better?"

He started to pull her towards the bed. "I am feeling much better, though my magic is still a little weak … which is why our clothes are still on." He reached down to grab the hem of his shirt and drew it over his head in one fluid movement, tousling his hair. He then did the same for her, as she raised her arms to help him. She had been wearing nothing underneath, and her nipples hardened at the sudden exposure to cooler air. His gaze hungrily traveled over her skin, and he almost couldn't stand it.

While he worked on his belt and jeans, Darcy scooted to the center of the bed, feeling a little weird about having sex with so many guests in the house. She distinctly remembered Jules, Jane, Thor, and Steve … they had all been talking to her.

"Loki, who's all here?"

Now divested of all his clothes, he sat on the bed and began to climb over her.

"Doesn't matter." He couldn't think about anything other than immersing himself in the feel of her body, her scent, her taste.

He began to pull at her panties, tugging them down her hips with one hand in erratic, almost frustrated movements, while his other hand groped at her breast.

She started making little whimpering sounds, which made it almost impossible for him to think.

"Loki, is the door locked at least?"

He reluctantly looked up, and tore himself away from kissing the soft skin between her breasts. He made a half-hearted gesture towards the door, and she heard a click.

"There. Better?"

"I thought your magic was still weakened."

"Weakened, yes … gone, no. I can handle a bit of telekinesis, what I can't do quite yet is manipulate matter, so that it moves from one space, and then materializes in another space." He'd managed to get her panties all the way off and threw them across the room … the mundane way, without magic. It made everything within her tighten in arousal … so damn hot.

"Oh," she said, as he went back to kissing her skin, traveling downward. "OHHH … ohhh, holy ... shit."

He looked up at her, and the expression on his face was pure sex, for lack of a better word. It was primitive, male … and all directed at her. "I need to taste you," he said, roughly … "I need you in all of my senses."

With thoughts of her friends completely gone now, since every coherent thought in her head always seemed to disappear when he went down on her, she lay back and allowed herself to be one with the moment, with the feel of it. Pretty soon, she was as worked up as he was, and she didn't care if she was ignoring her friends or making them feel uncomfortable … she didn't give a flying fuck about being un-Southern.

As his tongue and lips moved in their maddening yet delicious pace, she threaded her fingers through his hair and tried to urge him to go faster, more pressure. It had rarely worked before, because he liked to tease, and every time she'd tell him to go faster, the bastard would slow down, and torture her some more. But this time, he obeyed.

Her writhing beneath, begging for more ... with her legs spread for him, and so very wet … it was driving him mad … he couldn't wait any longer. Not one second. He climbed up her body and suddenly rolled them over, so that she was on top of him.

He looked up at her with urgency. "I need you to ride me. And I need you to do it … now."

Since he had followed her commands, she decided to let him have this one. She wrapped her hand around his cock, to be able to guide him inside, but she stalled for a second in awe … he was like, diamond-rock-hard, and seeping.

"Darling, please." His voice was desperate.

She was more than ready, just knowing how much he wanted her was making her practically soaked and swollen, so that everything was amped up, charged with a sweet explosive energy. She straddled him and lifted her hips, lined up with him, and sank down, enveloping him. As she rolled her hips, easing into a rhythm, Loki's body stretched in pleasure as he groaned, and Darcy held nothing back, being as loud as she damn well pleased.

As she began to move faster, the lusty hunger came over her … the feeling of being alive and not in a dream-state, and the hyper-awareness of everything around you. She pressed against him hard and at a frenzied pace … soon, she could already feel the tightening, the shadows of an orgasm forming.

He put his hands on her hips, to anchor himself as he let her have all the control, let her fuck him into oblivion … though he needed to concentrate on one thing he wanted to try.

"Darcy?"

"Hnnnnn …?"

"How you're … concentrating on your release … concentrate on your magic as well. Open … it up."

She slowed down. "Can't … think … right now."

He could feel it coming … the very beginnings. "Let me inside your power … as you let me inside you … anngh." Two seconds and he wouldn't be able to speak anymore "… as if your body and magic were one and the same."

She looked down and surrendered, letting her mind go, letting her magic open … she arched back and completely exposed herself to him, letting herself fall over the edge … as if she dove off a waterfall, and crashed into a lake below, in a sublime collision with his power.

The release practically tore them apart, threatened to tear spirit from body, taken to an ecstatic state, melded, together … and Darcy's blue light blended with Loki's green … creating a beautiful turquoise color, that made the room, darkening in dusk's last light … seem as if it were under the ocean.

They stared at each other, for they knew not how long … every cell within their bodies vibrating with energy, completely recharged … quite able to run a marathon if they so chose.

When Loki found that he could move again, he ran his hands up her thighs, feeling a slight, almost pleasant and tickleish electric charge on her skin.

He rolled her over again, this time on her back. "And we're not even done yet," he said, when he was able to find words.

He pushed back inside of her, and started his own frenzied lovemaking, now that he was at full strength. He thrust into her roughly, marking her as his … and she wrapped her legs around him, as a predator wraps around their prey … their coupling primitive, vigorous. She ran her nails down his stomach and he nearly lost himself in her arms.

After several minutes of fucking like gods and goddesses, he put her legs on his shoulders, kissing her ankle, biting her calf, before he began moving inside at an intense angle. She cried out. Loudly.

Loki then slowed down and looked at her, with an almost coy expression on his face. "I … I need."

She arched a brow and had a glint in her eye. "I'm yours. Take what you need."

He growled as he flipped her over, one hand on her waist, and the other on the back of her neck, to bring her on her hands and knees. He didn't give any time to adjust before he penetrated her from behind. The angle completely filled her, this time even more intense … a half an inch more, and it could have crossed over to pain … but this, this was perfect. Exquisite.

His hands roamed over the curve of her hips and the smooth and delicate skin of her backside. He began to move in and out in a circular movement, stroking her low on the way in, and high on the way out. Loki adjusted as he heard from her cries, exactly where the spot was that drove her wild … and he made sure to hit that soft place perfectly.

The pace was fast and steady, but she kept up, pushing back and meeting his thrusts.

"Look at me."

She turned her head back and saw him, his face twisted in pleasure, his hips moving fluidly, in a way that made her want to melt into a puddle on the bed.

He looked at her and then glanced at where their bodies were joining … he could see himself, slick with sex, moving in and out of her. He enjoyed being able to watch the show, and he wanted to see something more.

"Touch yourself."

She supported herself on her knees with one arm, and then brought the other between her legs, obeying him, coaxing out the orgasm herself as he fucked her. Hard.

It didn't take long before she was coming, quite vocally, her sweet passage tightening around him, spasming … he couldn't hold it in any longer. He felt her warm gush around his cock, and he tipped over, pouring in euphoric bursts and letting weeks of tension and fear and frustration flow out of him ... and in its place, he was flooded with pleasure.

They both collapsed on the bed, panting, out of breath.

"Wow."

"I know."

She tried to move, but she felt too stoned. Love stoned. She tried to suppress an inebriated giggle, and failed. "Let's stay in bed for a few days … I can pretend that I'm still asleep?"

Loki laughed, a lazy smile on his face. "I quite like this suggestion."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

As Scott and Jules brought out tea for the members of the Avengers camping out in the living room, a rhythmic sound started to become audible, coming from upstairs. It sounded strangely like a headboard knocking up against a wall.

Jane was confused at first. "Is … is she awake? She must be awake … and banging things around up there."

"Aye, dearest," Thor said, almost choking on his coffee. "In a way, you are correct."

After a few seconds, she understood. "Ooohhh, gotcha."

Thor grinned as he took a plate from the table where Scott had set up an elaborate spread of finger sandwiches, scones, coffee, and mimosas. He piled it high with cucumber sandwiches. Jane shook her head, though the corners of her mouth were almost twitching into a smile. Over on the couch, Hawkeye put his face in his hand, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Only Steve, didn't quite realize what was going on … but after the awkward silence, and sound of something pounding on the wall, he began to figure it out.

They heard what sounded like a muffled female moan.

Scott saw Steve blush, so he endeavored to make him feel comfortable, as it was the southern way. "So! You're Captain America. What's that like?"

He walked over and sat next to Cap on the couch, trying to initiate a conversation … talking as loud as possible while still being polite, in order to drown out the sound.

They heard another moan, this time both male and female. "SO THOR!" Jules practically yelled, "I heard you became a Giants fan? Why not the Vikings? … or the Saints," she added.

He nodded and smiled, knowing what she was trying to do. "I did ponder that, but I have never traveled to the land called Minnesota. I have, however, spent much time in New York. I must be loyal to the city that embraces me."

"Hmm, good answer."

As the minutes went by and the sound hadn't dissipated, Scott looked up at the ceiling and whispered. "Like a screen door in a hurricane … that lucky bitch."

Jules and Jane looked at each other and shrugged. God sex. Stamina came with the territory.

The sound then stopped, and a sigh of relief sounded around the room … but then it started right back up again.

"Position switch," Scott said.

After a few more minutes went by, Clint put down his tea and got up for food, piling the finger sandwiches on the plate that Thor hadn't gotten to first. He also poured himself a big glass of mimosa.

"God bless Loki, man." he said, shaking his head.

To take everyone's attention off of what was going on upstairs, Scott went ahead and turned on football. He turned it up, loud, even though he'd wanted to encourage togetherness and conversation on Thanksgiving.

_But whatever, fuck it_, he thought. Quite literally.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

After a much quieter round of sex in the master bathroom, Loki came down the steps with a distinct swagger in his step … freshly clean, his hair still a bit wet.

The session had consisted of quite a bit of laughter, while maneuvering in the old-fashioned clawfoot tub that had been converted into a shower.

He found everyone in the living room, engrossed in the television.

"Darcy's awake," he said, to the group watching football.

"Really?" Scott said flippantly, sipping at his mimosa.

Thor got up and walked over to his brother, talking low in his ear. "You could have warded that room so it was soundproof."

He flashed his classic "Loki-is-totally-innocent" bullshit face. "My magic is still weak, Thor … it would have taken up precious energy."

"Hmm. And yet, you warded this very room a few days ago, so no one would hear you joining in with me and cheering for Monday Night Football."

Loki shrugged and his devious smile crept upon his face.

Thor shook his head and grinned. "The poor girl, doesn't know what she's in for."

"I believe you could say the same thing about me, brother. I have no idea what I'm in for, as she completely disarms me at least twice a day."

Thor looked at him thoughtfully. "Mother would be proud." He put his hand on Loki's shoulder.

An actual genuine smile came across Loki's face. "Perhaps."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

After Darcy had dressed and splashed on some make-up, she came downstairs and enthusiastically caught up with everyone. She was insanely happy to see them again, her smile beaming from ear to ear. She gave everyone hugs, but held onto Jane for awhile, as she'd missed her a lot more than she ever thought she would.

It was weird having actual members of the Avengers at her grandmother's dining room table … and it was doubly weird to see both of her worlds combined. There was Darcy's New Orleans life, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. life … and everyone seemed to take an instant liking to each other.

A few days prior, Eshu even stopped by to meet Thor … Loki introducing them. A few hours later, Chango came by to become acquainted with the Norse God of Thunder. Jane told Darcy that the four of them had went to a bar together, and stayed out til 3 am. Darcy wondered what in the world they did, and Jane told her she didn't know, but that they were probably just talking about god stuff.

And Jules had certainly outdone herself for the Thanksgiving feast, even recruiting Jane to help, while teaching her basic technique … like how to boil water, and how to chop an onion without slicing your hand. Together, they made turkey with cornbread and andouille stuffing, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, homemade biscuits, brussel sprouts that actually tasted good (it was the bacon), fried apples, and pumpkin pie. Darcy looked down at her plate and fell in love, the food tasting better than she ever could have dreamed, she was so hungry.

The two Asgardians were reminded of the many feasts from their home, and for once, they felt as if they recognized something, even though they'd never heard of Thanksgiving. Darcy looked around the table at her friends, not remembering the last time she felt so content.

"I'm sorry if I scared you guys by sleeping for so long."

"It's okay, hoe," Jules said. "I knew you just needed to find your way."

"I'm just glad you woke up for this amazing dinner," Steve said. "It's been a very long time since I sat down to a Thanksgiving table. I'm so grateful that you invited us. And everything is wonderful."

"Thanks! And Jane, she was a great help." Jules said, beaming from such a compliment from an Avenger. "We're honored to have you, Captain … and Agent Barton, and Thor of course. Loki has been here for awhile, but we're glad you're here too. New Orleans welcomes you."

Darcy nodded her head in agreement, thinking that they were so very lucky that everyone made it through all the crazy threats and happenings … but then she remembered Ian. She wondered what had happened to him.

"I just wish Ian would try to get in touch … Jane, have you heard from him?"

Her friend shook her head. "No. I haven't heard anything. It's weird that he'd just leave us hanging, not knowing if he's okay or not. It's not like him."

Loki sighed, and nonchalantly took a sip of wine. "I did forgot to mention, darling, he did in fact call. He sent a message to your phone … I was actually surprised, given that I figured his code drug would be for some kind of laxative, or perhaps an antifungal medication … but turns out he was messaging about something called Xanax."

Darcy could have smacked him, if she hadn't been so relieved. "Oh, thank God … it means everything is chill. Laid back. Not to worry."

"Yes," Loki continued. "He said that he's been helping MI6 to eradicate HYDRA cells … apparently they need his brain for such things, for figuring out where they are. He hasn't been allowed to contact anyone in the outside world."

Steve nodded. "And that's what we're going to do when we leave here," he said. "We have a lot of work to do. We have to find that scepter, and we need to track down HYDRA's new leader."

"Yeah," Clint chimed in. "But first we have to go to Stark … I mean, Avengers Tower. Everyone is meeting there."

"Avengers Tower?" Darcy thought it had a nice ring to it.

Clint nodded. "Tony renamed it. We all have apartments and rooms there now … labs, a training facility, a place to park our quinjet … basically whatever we want. S.H.I.E.L.D. no longer gives us orders. We are our own self-governing group now … which Tony loves, by the way, and so he started calling it Avengers Tower."

"Which leaves you with a decision, Darcy," Steve said, putting his fork down. "You can either wait it out and go back with S.H.I.E.L.D. once they get going again … Coulson will contact you regardless, you can work directly under him as an agent. Or you can work with us. On paper, you'd be an employee of Stark Industries, but in reality you'd be our hacker slash I.T. guy … er, girl. You'd be working with Tony, handling things at the base while he's out in the field."

Darcy didn't have to think twice. "I'll hang with you guys, of course … besides, Coulson already has a pretty decent hacker."

"You'll have to familiarize yourself with all of Stark's stuff."

"I can do that."

"Great. How soon can you be in New York?"

She glanced over at her New Orleans friends … Jules and Scott all of a sudden looked sad, and Loki looked like someone ran over his pet snake … or wolf, or whatever. "Can I have a few weeks? Or maybe a month or so? I really need a vacation … I didn't take one after the Dark Elves thing, and now I really need one after the whole crazy episode that went down here."

"Sure," Steve said. "Take all the time you need. You'll always have a place with us."

"Thanks," she said, feeling incredibly blessed as she sliced into a piece of pumpkin pie.

The night ended, or began, depending on how you looked at it, by walking the New York group down to their favorite corner pub … one where tourists didn't frequent and where they had a great jukebox. Darcy played lots of Rolling Stones tunes and Jules picked out some Madonna.

Loki, whose magic had fortuitously been completely recharged somehow, even followed through on something he told Steve weeks and weeks prior … he made it so Captain America could get drunk, bypassing his condition with a little spellwork, though it would only be temporary.

By the time midnight came around, the team of Scott and Jane was beating the team of Jules and Steve at shuffleboard … Thor and Clint sat in a corner drunkenly trading horrifying sibling stories, and Loki and Darcy were slow dancing to "Beast of Burden" and "Crazy for You".

After finally winning a game of shuffleboard, an elegantly wasted Captain America shouted to his friends, "AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"

Both Thor and Clint stood up, ready to take action, hilariously looking around for danger with their eyes glazed over from alcohol.

Steve laughed. "Ha. I just wanted to see what you guys would do."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

"Do you want to go back to New York?"

"Not quite yet."

Loki and Darcy were laying outside on one of her gran's quilts, under the trees, looking at the darkening sky, trying to view the stars. She had shown him the backyard and garden, the rose bushes having miraculously thrived even though no one was there to tend to them, only the occasional gardener that her father had hired to keep it nice for the neighborhood.

"What about your brother? Do you want to be near him?"

Thor and Jane had returned to New York that morning, along with Steve and Clint, their mini-vacay before they had to go off Avengering ending. It had been a sad goodbye … as they'd had a lot of fun together over the past few days.

Loki turned and looked at her. "You're joking about Thor, right?"

"You guys seem to be getting along."

"Yes. Probably because we haven't been spending a too much time together. Or living together."

"I guess that makes sense … so you're cool with staying here for a little while?"

"Quite."

Loki turned on his side and propped his head up by his elbow. "Darcy. Now that my magic is fully restored, there is something I wish to give to you."

She turned on her side and mirrored his position. "You're going to make me something with magic?" She smiled, her face lighting up.

Loki laughed quietly. "Em. No … it's just that I had put it in a safe place, tucked away in a pocket of space, if you will … in another dimension, so that no one could find it."

"Whoa. That's heavy," Darcy said. _Space pockets_?

He reached up, and with a flick of his wrist, he conjured up a wide silver bracelet. He offered it to her, almost shyly … and she gingerly took it, surprised by its weight, as it was pretty heavy. This was the real deal. She turned it around in her hand … it had intricate knotting, like the designs of the Vikings.

"It was my mother's."

"Wow. Thank you, Loki." She looked up at him, stunned that he'd give her such a gift. It had to have been very very old, and very very priceless. Hell, it wasn't even of this world.

"She would want you to have it," he said, softly. He sat up, taking the bracelet and applying it to her free arm.

She turned her wrist over, testing how it felt, the weight of it, the feeling of wearing something so grand, something a queen once wore.

"Thank you," she said quietly, her eyes getting a bit watery.

"It suits you, as if it was made for you," he said. "I recalled that I had it while I was acting as king in Odin's stead."

"You mean when you impersonated him?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

He gave a short nod.

"I had forgotten about it … Frigga gave it to me right before Thor's coronation," he said wistfully. "Well, his would-be coronation. It was known that Thor would be expected to choose a wife soon, and I wouldn't be far behind … though I'd told my parents that I'd rather spend the rest of my days living in a hut on Nornheim than marry some homely princess from another wretched realm."

He traced the bracelet with his index finger. "My mother said to stop being so dramatic," he laughed. "She told me to wait until I found someone worthy to wear this."

Darcy closed her eyes. It was bordering on too much for her … she couldn't possibly be worthy enough to wear the bracelet of someone who was called the "All-Mother".

She opened her eyes, a tear escaping down her cheek. "So you forgot about it?"

He reached out to wipe the tear away with his thumb. "Yes, in my madness I'd forgotten … I'd forgotten most of the good things. I was reminded of it when Thor had returned to Asgard after the defeat of the Dark Elves, to ask for my pardon … or rather, Odin's pardon."

"When he said that he wished to go back to the Earth, I asked him, 'Is this my son I hear, or the woman he loves' … thinking that Jane was somehow bewitching him into refusing the throne, because I couldn't possibly think of a reason why anyone would refuse such a thing."

He gave a short and low laugh. "Then he answered my question with another question ... 'and when you speak, do I not hear mother's voice?' he said."

Darcy couldn't help but grin. "Mama's boy."

Loki smiled, "Yes, but it hit me. It hit me hard … that Odin had Frigga, Thor had Jane … and I had no one. And then I remembered this heirloom, still empty, still waiting. But truth be told, I hadn't thought of love in such a way in a very long time."

"Neither did I."

"And yet, somehow we found each other."

"We did." She looked down at the bracelet, "I love you," she said.

"I love you, too."

Loki laid back down on the quilt, as the moon was beginning to glow, the sky full-dark. "I have found someone worthy," he said, as if he were talking to the stars.

He turned his head. "Can we stay here for a little while … in this house, I mean."

"Sure. Do you want to stay through Christmas?"

"I would love to," he said, strangely satisfied. "Now, what movie would you like to watch tonight?

"_Oh, thank God_," Darcy said, at his change in subject. "I thought the schmaltz police were about to come by and shoot us. Which blu-rays did Scott leave for you?" Her friend had decided that she hadn't been doing a good enough job at teaching Loki the ways of the modern motion picture.

"He said to watch the one about music, because I needed to learn about … what is it? Rock n' Roll? That's a silly term … anyway, a young boy tours with a band of musicians so that he can record the experience."

"Eh. That's _Almost Famous_ … it's a 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' movie."

Loki's brows twisted in confusion. "What on Earth is that?"

"It's a trope … a modern archetype found in some movies. It's a girl who's all bubbly and fun and charming, but is actually kind of crazy … and she helps the brooding main character dude to find himself, or quit his broodiness, and enjoy life."

Loki grinned. "Sounds like you."

"What?! No, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl only exists to help the main male character find himself, that's her whole reason for being … the girl doesn't learn anything, it's all for the man. She stays the same." Darcy turned her head to look at him, "you've taught me, as much as I've taught you."

He reached over and touched her face, tracing the contours, down her neck, and to her shoulder. He rolled over and began to climb on top of her.

She relished in his inviting weight from above, as he kissed her, their lips now completely accustomed to one another, fitting perfectly together. Perhaps the movie could wait … _and there was a tall fence around the yard_ …

She smiled as he traveled down her skin to lay kisses on her neck. Darcy looked at the stars through the trees, the leaves lazily moving with the wind.

He came up for air and looked down at her for a moment.

"You're my dream girl."

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

XXX

XX

X

.

So I want to thank a few peeps for their schmaltz-o-meter and fluff-radar ... Mistyfish and Vampiresangel. THANKS GUYS! I'm not the best at writing fluff sometimes. And then for way back in Chapter 22, I want to thank Solstice2186 again, for her Louisiana expertise and of course, HaleyJo for her much appreciated opinions. You all helped me more than you know. And thanks to everyone who helped to catch my dyslexic words ... I jumble them sometimes and I'm blind to it.

Also, to everyone who reviewed, to the ones that were reading from the beginning, and y'all that just stumbled upon my little fic THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. You've, hands down, made me a better writer. I never thought it would get as big as it did ... I planned to write this as practice for writing a novel, because I felt like I could be many things with the Loki/Darcy pairing ... funny, romantic, sad, etc ... so I went with it. I never thought that more than 10 people would read it and I've just been floored by the reception, so thank you.

This of course, has been many months of my life, and I'm both relieved to get it over with and terribly sad at the same time. It'll be nice to not have gods in my brain for a little while ;-) Seriously, that shit can drive you crazy.

Next up is NaNoWriMo in November ... writing an original novel I've had in my head for quite awhile. I might write a small AU-type thing for when the novel is driving me batshit crazy. Then ... I have a few one-shots planned from the MTDG world. Probably one about the drum circle/party that Jules talked about in the beginning of the chapter ... and then maybe a Christmas one, I've been playing around with the idea of introducing Darcy's father. And then on down the line ... I have an outline for a sequel, but I might wait until I see what happens with Age of Ultron.

ANYWAY.

I'll write more when I post the epilogues, but for now ... thanks again. El fin :-)


	33. Epilogues

XXX

**Epilogue 1**

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

It was dusk on Ash Wednesday and Darcy was hung over … more like hung _the fuck_ over, but details! Everyone in the city was in the same state ... but overindulgence on Mardi Gras Day didn't mean you could skip out on your appointments.

She was sitting in Miss Ramona's little temple, where she did all her readings.

"You're planning on heading back to New York tomorrow?" The priestess asked with a knowing grin.

Darcy nodded. "Yeah. We said we'd stay through Christmas … but then Twelfth Night came along and I was like … 'Loki, we can't leave during Carnival season, you're a "God of Mischief" for chrissakes', and then he did that annoying thing where he's like … 'what does he have to do with it?' Like, Christ … as in Jesus. And I'm like, 'oh my god, it's a figure of speech'. And he's like … 'which god are you appealing to'? And then I punched him … and then … well … nevermind." She didn't need to explain what happened next, because sex. That's how bickering usually ended for them … and they bickered _a lot_.

"But yeah," Darcy nodded. "We're planning to head back tomorrow. Vacation is over. It's time to go back to work." She was itching to get back and start up her assassin training again … all the food and spirits from the holidays, and then all the king cake during Carnival season, was starting to negate all the hard work she'd done as Natasha's protegé.

"So what did you need to consult with me about?" Miss Ramona asked.

"It's about all the crazy dreams I had while I was out … you know, after we looked to see what happened to Loki's demon."

"Of course."

"Gran said that I should go home with him."

"And why did she say that?"

Darcy sighed. "I'm fuzzy on the details … but there was something about a battle."

"Yes. All the signs are pointing that way."

"Isn't there anything anyone can do to stop it?" Darcy knew that not every bad thing could be prevented, but she needed to ask.

Miss Ramona shook her head. "Not this one. The world has been gearing up for this kind of battle for a while now."

"She mentioned hubris."

"Yes. The misguided notion that humans can know more than nature itself."

Darcy looked down. "Then … if the chance arises, should I leave? I don't think I could leave without knowing that everyone is going to be okay."

"You cannot live like that, Darcy. Everyone is responsible for their own fate," Miss Ramona said.

"I know."

Miss Ramona then passed her hand across the table in an arc of golden light. Darcy could feel pressure in her ears, as if she were on an airplane. She recognized it … it was the priestesses masking spell.

"And yes, you should go … but staying away from danger is only _one_ reason as to why."

Darcy looked up, confused. "What else?"

"You must look at it from a different angle. Just think of all the things you could learn," the priestess said with a sly smile.

Darcy sat and listened as Miss Ramona gave her guidance and instruction from higher up … on how to be the perfect human representative in another realm. What to reveal, what not to reveal … and what to look for.

* * *

****Epilogue 2  
****

**~~*...*~~**

"I don't know how we managed to accumulate so much shit, considering we came down here with just a few bags and a suitcase."

"I'm not the one who goes around purchasing things at will … such as 10 pairs of sunglasses."

"Hey, they're like 5 bucks at the French Market … and most of my collection is back in New York … I needed to supplement."

Loki and Darcy were in the middle of packing clothes for their trip back to New York, back to working life … though it wouldn't be to one that was familiar. She now worked for Stark Industries, and their apartments were now in Avengers Tower. Darcy had been spending the past few weeks trying to familiarize herself with Tony's custom everything. The man even had his own operating system … Apple's OS X just wasn't good enough for him. He'd sent her a package filled with stuff, lots of folders emitting 3D holograms as soon as she opened them.

Loki had to help her at first, since he was already acquainted with it, having worked with Tony when he first arrived on Earth. He'd also been helping her with her magic … how to direct it, how to focus better. Sometimes it went well … sometimes not so well. Darcy wasn't the best student sometimes and Loki could be a patronizing ass when he wanted to be.

"What do you suppose you'll be working on when we get back?" Darcy asked, wondering if she and Loki would be working together at all.

"I can't really say, though I have a feeling it would involve Stark's new suits, unless he's finished them already."

"What kind of new suits?"

"That's classified," he said with a grin.

She took it as a challenge, walked up to him and ran a finger down his stomach. "I bet I could make you spill."

He laughed in that gravelly way of his, low in his throat, the kind that made your insides vibrate. "Let's put it to the test, shall we?"

Just as they'd collapsed on the bed, and were starting to get somewhere, there was a strange sound outside ... as if an airplane was flying very low, but it only lasted for a few seconds.

Darcy sat up from her position on top of Loki, her shirt bunched up above her bra.

"Aliens?" She said, breathing heavily, though she was only kidding.

Loki looked to be in a daze for a few seconds, having to come down from heights of arousal.

"Fucking hell," he growled. Darcy noted that he must have been pretty pissed off … he didn't tend to use the word "fuck" too much, thinking that the constant use of profanity was a sign of a serious lack of intelligence.

The doorbell rang and he froze.

"Don't worry, Loki … anyone important would have called first. It's probably just a pair of mormons, or a girl scout."

"No dearest, I think your previous guess was the right one."

"Huh?" _Aliens?_

"That, darling, was the sound of the bifrost. I sincerely hope that no one was around to see it."

"Eh. Everyone is probably still in recovery from Mardi Gras. Even if they did see it, they'd probably figure they were just hallucinating from the after-effects."

They both got up, straightened themselves out, and went down the stairs to open the door.

"Loki." The man was standing on her porch in leather Robin Hood garb.

"Fandral."

They both greeted each other while revealing nothing, without absolute indifference in their voices.

"Come on Fandral, get inside … Mardi Gras is over, people can't see you dressed up in your 'Men in Tights' costume." Darcy pulled him into the foyer and closed the door.

The Asgardian visitor's face lit up at the sight of her. "We've had the pleasure of meeting, have we not? In the desert?" He offered his hand and she reluctantly took it, not wanting to be rude. He laid a gentlemanly kiss on her knuckles. "What in The Nine did this graceless trickster do to win your affection?"

Darcy looked at Loki with an expression that read "_is this guy for real?!_" Loki only rolled his eyes.

"Um. For starters, he doesn't talk to me like we're in the _Canterbury Tales_, but setting that aside, what can we do for you? We were just preparing to take a road trip." They had rented a convertible and everything … Darcy was looking forward to road-tripping with Loki, seeing as many sights as they could along the way to New York.

"Perhaps a different sort of trip is in your future," Fandral said, grinning.

Loki looked like he was starting to get pretty agitated. "Just what are you going on about?"

"The All-Father wishes to speak to you." He then looked at Darcy. "Both of you."

"And how do I know that I am not walking into a trap … and that I'd be sending her to the wolves as well. I will not do this."

"Loki, you have my word. The lady will be an honored guest, and it would seem as if your banishment, that was supposed to have lasted a millenia, is over."

"And what of Thor?" Loki asked.

"Thor must stay on Midgard," Fandral said wistfully. "I promise you, no harm will come to either of you, nor will you be thrown into the dungeons, Loki … you will be able to make use of your princely rooms once again."

Darcy could tell that Loki was extremely suspicious if he was getting an invitation back to Asgard when Thor wasn't … but she could also tell that it excited him.

He looked at her with what seemed like hope in his eyes. "Darling?"

"Why not?" Darcy shrugged, as if she was asked to go to intergalactic realms every day. This took the term "jet-setter" to a whole different level.

Loki smiled deviously. "Very well Fandral, we'll be along shortly … now if you'll just move along. Tell Heimdall we might be a little while," he said, as he pushed the confused Asgardian out the door.

"I … I don't understand," Fandral said, confused.

"I told you … we'll be along shortly, we were just in the middle of something before you rudely interrupted, and it's very important … so if you will excuse us," Loki said, and then promptly shut the door in his face.

He turned around to face Darcy. "Are you sure?"

She smiled. "Why not? I'm up for whatever," she said nonchalantly.

"It will most certainly be some kind of trap."

"It's cool, I'm sure we'll figure it out. We've got that whole magic thing on our side."

"Yes. We do." Loki said, grinning, walking slowly towards her.

"And hell, we already have our bags packed," she said, right before she turned around and ran up the stairs, with him following not far behind.

When he caught up with her, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, as she shrieked with laughter.

After he set her down on their bed, he looked at her with blackened eyes … and she grinned back at him, a shadow across her face equally as dark.

_Asgard isn't going to know what hit it_, he thought, as he climbed over her to finish what they'd started.

* * *

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

**Author's Note**

So there's just a few things I wanted to talk about before closing the book on this for forever *sobs* ... and feel free to skip these ramblings if you'd like ;-)

As I've said quite a bit, this was practice for writing a novel ... the structure, the build, climax, all that stuff. And since it was meant to be practice, I chose to go with half established characters and half original characters. Jules, Scott, Ramona... they were created to see if I could make original characters work. It's also why I took Loki and Darcy away from New York ... to see if I could paint a background that wasn't already there. After a few chapters into the New Orleans part, and the introduction into voodoo, I got the only real negative criticism that I received throughout the whole thing ... and it's totally understandable when you're used to being in this fandom and reading fics that take place within the MCU. But there are SO MANY amazing ones out there already. I didn't want to be repetitive. There are only so many different scenarios you can play out if you stay totally within canon. Also, it was an experiment. One that I think went really well, and I'm really glad that I did it.

When I first started writing this, I was a fan of Marvel movies, but I wouldn't have called myself a fanatic. Now? I'm full fledged crazy. I watch nerd YouTube videos (Emergency Awesome is ... well, awesome) and I laugh with everyone on Tumblr about Clint Barton's farm. I love being a part of it all. So thank you for embracing me and this strange story.

The other sort of criticism was a message about my portrayal of Loki. That he was too nice. And I get it, some people prefer a darker Loki ... and others prefer a fluffier Loki. I tend to think he's somewhere in the middle. The Loki from _Thor_ was obviously different than the Loki from _Avengers_ ... and in _The Dark World_ he was even more different. I gathered inspiration from all three movies (and the deleted scenes). I've also been reading the Loki: Agent of Asgard comics, so that probably influenced me as well. The reason I did not make him darker (which can be very fun, don't get me wrong, and I love reading those fics), is that if I was going to write a romance (which is what I wanted to practice), I could not write him to be abusive, verbally or otherwise. To make him dark, would be to make him tedious in a relationship, and mean, and at the end of the day, abusive ... and I can't let him end up with Darcy that way. No one should ever date a dark Loki. Ever. Hate sex? Sure. Date and marry and have babies? Nope (unless you're going for some kind of Bonnie&amp;Clyde AU, which could be cool). Even if Darcy straightened him out, it would have taken years and years of therapy for me to have them end up together, and this fic didn't have that kind of time ;-) I think it's just from personal experience ... I dated so many asshole guys with daddy issues when I was in high school and college and I just didn't want that for poor Darcy. I can't stand whiny ass poor-me motherfuckers, and Loki crosses over into that territory very easily sometimes, even in the movies.

I wanted to portray a relationship where each opens the other up. They both helped each other. It wasn't one-sided. I also wanted to describe a healthy sexual relationship. I know I have a lot of young readers, so I wanted to convey the intimacy that can come with sex ... not just the actual act of it. I felt a responsibility to not write a Christian Grey-type, but a healthy dynamic between two people. I also wanted to make Darcy experienced in that way ... as in real life, it's okay. It's okay to have sex if you're ready for it, and to feel good about it. But I repeat ... if you're ready for it! Girls need to know that it's okay. It's nothing to be ashamed of, and it's a healthy part of a healthy relationship. That's essentially why I wrote Loki and Darcy the way that I did.

As for Darcy ... I get the feeling that a lot of fics draw from _Two Broke Girls_ for their inspiration for Darcy ... but I've never watched that show. Not once. The only show I watch on network television is _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D._, and even that, I wish it were on FX or HBO or something. Anyway. I only had the two Thor movies to draw from, so I hope I did an okay job. I will say that even though she only had a handful of lines in both of them (well, maybe a little more in _Thor 2_), she managed to be much more interesting than the female lead. That's what I was drawn to when trying to pick out characters. But as I kept writing, the actors faded away. My Loki and Darcy are not KD and TH ... they are Loki and Darcy. They don't look like the actors in my head anymore. Which is good, because I had no idea they actually dated IRL when I started writing this, and it would have probably made me write another pairing if I had known that.

And New Orleans. I picked it because my first original novel will be set in New Orleans and I wanted to practice. Also, I just thought that Loki would totally love New Orleans. My two ideas that I wrapped the story around, was one ... since Darcy's name was Darcy, I needed to do some kind of _Pride__ and Prejudice_ arc, and two, I wanted to ask the question ... what would Loki do if he met another "God of Mischief"? It's cool because there are several ... there are divine tricksters in almost every culture and mythology. I find that fascinating.

The other thing I wanted to have happen, was I wanted the Earth to have its own magic. Watching the movies, I'm tired of pompous Asgardians thinking we're ants down here on Earth. We have magic too! And the reason I gave Darcy magic as well ... at the end of the day, it was because I didn't want them to have to appeal to Odin for Darcy's immortality. For Idunn's apples. I wanted her to have a way of her own. It was something I wrestled with, giving her magic, because I didn't want to turn her into a Mary Sue ... but she was a reluctant user of magic, and at this point, she still doesn't know what she wants in that respect. I find the concept of immortality interesting. Asgardians have a 5,000 year life-span ... but do you actually _want_ to live that long? It's a good question.

And finally, Hurricane Katrina. It's a subject that needs to be treated with care and I hope that I did it justice. In my Katrina flashback, I made sure to use examples of things that I knew happened. Depression was prevalent. Many older victims succumbed to it, like Darcy's grandmother. Many many people were displaced and ended up in cities like Atlanta and Houston ... and many have not returned. As for Jules' assault in the fic, I know someone who was assaulted while rescuing dogs in the lower-9th ward. One of the issues that did not get nearly enough attention, in my opinion, was that in the aftermath of the storm, sexual assault was a huge problem, and no one talks about it.

So that's it. I'll be writing a few one-shots in this world in the coming months, so it's not totally over. And I guess I set things up for a sequel? ;-)

Find me on Tumblr. I'm at AnnieMar over there too. We can talk about Clint's farm and Ultron's James Spader voice. And how good Thor looked in that grey v-neck.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for reviewing everyone, and special shout-out to marshmallowdeviant, lauralina, and AliceIsDead ... you guys are effing amazing. You were here at the beginning and stuck with me til the end. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Now, if you're wanting more Tasertricks, and you haven't read them already ... go read **The Beginning of the End** by Lokishorcrux and **The Sound of Heartstrings** by mischiefgoddesscomplex. The latter I think is only on AO3. They are WIPs from authors that will no doubt, finish them.

The other fics I'm obsessed with are **Time Again** by anaellefire and **High Rise** by Kureiji_Kurai. If either of you are reading this, and I say this with love, FINISH YOUR FICS! MOAR CHAPTERS. I'M DYING OVER HERE.

;-)

Time Again is probably one of the only fics out there to make me legit cry, like tears ... and the last chapter in High Rise totally gave me mind-whiplash, like in a good way. A great way.

So that's it for now.

Please leave a comment if you're so inclined :-) I love hearing from you.


	34. Mardi Gras one-shot

Alright. Manic Taser Dream Girl, a Mardi Gras one-shot :-D

The first part is the remnants of a Christmas one-shot that I never finished, but I figured I'd post. Better late than never, eh?

And then we have Mardi Gras. I hope you like it :-)

Song mentioned below is of course, "Gold Digger" by Kanye West. You know I had to throw a little Kanye in there.

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

The doorbell was ringing incessantly.

Loki opened an eye to look at the clock on the bedside table … it was very early to be receiving guests. "Darling. Someone is at the door."

"Hmmmm. I don't answer the door on Saturday mornings," Darcy said groggily as she burrowed further under the duvet. "Nothing good can come of it."

The doorbell sounded again. And again.

"I do not think they are going away."

"Answer it if it's bothering you so much."

Loki grinned, rather loving the finer points of intimacy, such as being in love with someone who hated being awoken too early, and being met with an almost endearing scorn. "You really are so very pleasant in the mornings," he said, as he swung his long legs off the bed and stepped onto the chilly hardwood floor.

He walked down the stairs in pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt, figuring that was fine for greeting whoever called on a house at 9 o'clock on a Saturday morning. He opened the door, ready to scare the person away with rudeness if need be. Magic, if necessary.

He was met with an older man with dark hair that was grey on the sides, and blue smiling eyes … the kind of smiling eyes that one attained after years of practice in front of a mirror. A mask. The smirk on his face was also practiced … and also wasn't exactly friendly. "Good morning," the man said, in a loud clear voice. "Who the hell are you?"

The man then pushed inside. Loki inclined his head and raised a hand, ready to unleash his magic on the intruder. "Forgive me, but do you often force your way into people's houses in the mornings?"

"I am the caretaker of this house," the man said, as he walked over to the bottom of the staircase, obviously familiar with the layout. "_Darlin!_" he yelled in the direction of the second floor. "Get your butt down here, _now_!"

Realization dawned on Loki.

"You are Darcy's father."

"Hm." It was the only response he was given.

After only a few seconds, Darcy appeared at the top of the stairs, her hair looking like they'd had about ten rounds of sex the previous evening. She crossed her arms. "What are you doing here?"

Her father raised his voice again. "How long have you been in town?"

The only response she gave him was a shrug.

He seemed as if he was used to that reaction and went on. "You haven't been answering your phone."

"I didn't realize you even had my phone number."

"Don't start this shit, Darcy."

She rolled her eyes and started to walk down the stairs. "I had to get a new phone and a new number."

"I can't believe that I had to hear my daughter was in New Orleans, with some new boy, I might add, from the neighbors. You couldn't call?"

When she reached the last step, Darcy looked up at him. "What bothers you more, that I didn't tell you, or that you were embarrassed by the neighbors?"

"Let's not go down this road, Darcy. I haven't seen you in a year."

Darcy sighed. "Hi, Dad," she said blandly. "Hey, I'm in town. This is Loki, he's my … boyfriend." It still sounded weird to call a Norse demi-god her boyfriend.

"He lives with you?"

"Yep. We live together. _In sin_." Darcy looked over at Loki with much more warmth than she gave her father. "Loki, this is my dad. People call him Mr. Levi."

Darcy's father held out his hand. "Levi is fine."

Loki gave him a firm handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Levi furrowed his brow, detecting an accent. "You're from … England?"

"Something like that," Darcy interrupted. "Now, what do you want? It's early, Dad."

"It's Christmas Eve, darlin'. You are coming to the house tonight, right?"

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Darcy."

Loki decided to move things along to get the meeting over with, and get Darcy back to bed. "We will be there," he said. "Thank you for the invitation."

Levi gave him his first genuine smile of the morning while Darcy crossed her arms in a huff.

After he'd left, Darcy refused to go back upstairs. "Why did you do that?"

"Because darling, I know what it's like, having a complicated relationship with one's father … and I also know that eventually you would have accepted his invitation, if only out of curiosity as to what he wants exactly … because he would not have made such a gesture unless he wanted something. And I would rather not stand here all day while you two had it out … I'd rather take you back to bed, if you don't mind."

Darcy smirked. "Okay … but you're wrong, you know."

"Am I?"

"He doesn't want anything from me. He just wants to be able to tell the neighbors something, especially about you, the next time they ask."

"Really."

"Never underestimate a southerner's need to look good in front of the neighbors."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

Darcy stood on her father's front porch, trying to give Loki a run-down of the situation before going inside and being thrown to the wolves.

"Okay, I have a brother, Peyton, who is only a few years younger than me, and then a little brother who is five years old now. I also have a sister, but she spends Christmas Eve with her mother, I think … they all have different schedules and I can't keep up with them."

Loki nodded his head, committing it all to memory.

"Also, my grandmother will be here. We call her LuLu. Don't take anything she says seriously, okay? She had a stroke a few years ago and completely lost her filter."

"Her filter?"

"Yeah. You know, that part of your brain that helps you to stop from saying everything you think?"

Loki smiled. "And did you also have a stroke at some point? That sounds exactly like someone I know."

Darcy punched him softly in the shoulder and shook her head. "I might have filter problems … but you have no idea."

"Darcy!" The door opened to reveal a ridiculously cute and tiny dark-haired lad, holding a Captain America figure.

"Charming," Loki said, only slightly relieved that it hadn't been a Thor doll.

Darcy squealed and picked him up, twirling him around. Loki smiled, having never seen this side of her before … a maternal side. A side that she insisted wasn't there, the side where one gushes over children and babies … yet he was looking at evidence to the contrary.

The lad in Darcy's arms giggled and she gave him a kiss on the nose. "Loki, this is Jesse."

"Jesse?"

The boy nodded his head. "Yessir. I was named after my great-great-great-great-great grandpa. He carried a sword! What's your name?"

"Loki."

His little face brightened at the word. "My friend's cat is named Loki!"

Loki inclined his head. "Really."

A slight old woman in a pink suit stood in the doorway. "Good Lord, he's tall. Where in the world did you find him, Darcy?"

"I found him at the tall guy store, LuLu," she said, as she guided Loki into the house.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

"So where is stepmom 2.5?" Darcy asked her father as she buttered a piece of bread. Everyone was sitting down at the fancy table in the dining room … everything decorated beautifully for Christmas.

"2.5?" Loki asked quietly, not understanding.

"I've had 2 and a half stepmoms," Darcy explained. "He married two of them, but was only engaged to another one."

"Ah."

Darcy's father took a sip of bourbon, the ice clinking in the glass. "She took a little trip to Aspen with one of her friends," he said through his teeth.

"Aspen?"

Darcy's brother Peyton began to laugh. "She went to Aspen with Jesse's nanny."

Levi then gave Peyton a look that said "shut the fuck up".

"Yes, dear," Darcy's grandmother said. "Levi has managed to turn this one into a lesbian."

Darcy's father cleared his throat. "Have you spoken to your mother?" he asked her, trying to change the subject.

She smiled, taking a strange pity on her father, and letting him talk about something else. "Yeah. She's fine … she's probably working."

Peyton laughed. "Brenda-bot is at work on Christmas Eve? I'm so surprised."

Darcy turned to look at him sharply. "Yeah, she always has worked pretty hard, putting herself through college and moving to the top in a career dominated by men … so, how is your mom doing? Still collecting child support and alimony from half of the Garden District? Of course, what she does is a different sort of work, but still exhausting I gather."

Loki's eyes widened at Darcy's cutting words to her brother. He then smiled slightly, a bit proud of her … never quite feeling this close to her before, watching her sibling interactions.

"Darcy!" her father warned.

"Jonee was a bit of a gold digger dear, you have to admit," LuLu said.

Levi took another drink, chewed on his ice, and looked down the table, apologetic. "Loki. I am so sorry, our dinners are usually much more civilized."

"No they're not," Darcy said.

"It's fine, sir. I actually feel very much at home," Loki said, with a smirk.

"My mom is not a gold digger!" Peyton growled at his sister.

Darcy took a sip of wine and set her glass down, looking at her brother with an evil glint in her eye. She then opened her mouth and began to recite a song … or a rap?

"_I know somebody payin' child support for one of his kids, his baby momma's car and crib is bigger than his, you will see him on TV any given Sunday, win the Superbowl and drive off in a Hyundai, she was spose to buy ya shorty Tyco with ya money, she went to the doctor got lypo with ya money, she walkin' around lookin' like Michael with ya money, should've got that insured, got GEICO for ya money._"

"STOP IT!"

"What, Peyton?" Darcy asked, batting her eyelashes. "I ain't sayin' she a gold digger. But she ain't messin' with no broke …"

"Darcy!" Levi cut her off.

"What? I wasn't going to say it!"

"What in The Nine was all that?" Loki asked.

Darcy shrugged. "Kanye."

He shook his head. "I should have guessed."

LuLu then spoke up, as if there was no tension in the room what so ever. "Ah. So Loki, is it true what they say about British men … are they really so very terrible in bed?"

Darcy dropped her fork. "He's not exactly from England, LuLu … he's from sort of, more north of there."

"Like Scotland?"

"Sure. Let's go with that."

"Ooohhhh, yes, those Scots are crazy. Nothing underneath those kilts, they say. Is he very good with his broadsword then, sweetheart?"

Darcy blushed, but took a drink of wine and then responded. "Very skilled, LuLu."

"I've always had a fondness for Scottish men," she said, nodding. "Sean Connery … and that Liam Neeson fellow, I've heard that he has an enormous co.."

"LIAM NEESON IS IRISH LULU," Darcy interrupted before the old woman could finish her sentence. "He only played a Scot in that one movie."

"Ah yes. And Loki certainly is tall like Liam Neeson, I'm sure that he …"

Loki interrupted her this time. "Yes ma'am, you could say that I have a very particular set of skills."

Darcy smiled slowly at him. "Indeed," she said.

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

The weeks they had spent in together New Orleans had been needed, had been restorative … and they were also an education in intimacy, as Loki and Darcy were able to spend the kind of time together that creates bonds … ones created because they desired to create them, and not because they were forced to live under the same roof together via impending Thanos or HYDRA threat … because of imminent doom. And for Loki, the weeks spent with Darcy had been some of the best of his strangely long life, and most certainly in recent memory. It was almost as if someone else had let go of his hold on the Bifrost … it was someone else that had spent all that time in the darkness in Thanos' torturous corner of space. Someone else entirely that had led an alien invasion on New York City.

But then the last couple of weeks happened and what was once a restorative and enlightening sabbatical, had become an exercise in testing one's stamina and ability to consume mass quantities of rich food and spirits. The weeks-long human tradition known as Mardi Gras reminded Loki of the most debaucherous of spring festivals on Asgard, Vanaheim, and Alfheim. But this was on another level … as it was more that just feasts and drink and dancing, the celebrations of the cycles within Yggdrasil … this had a modern human element, so there were bright lights, music that vibrated through your body, and the kind of excess and indulgence that would make even Volstagg bat an eye.

Loki's first big Carnival parade was one called "Muses", which Darcy had claimed as her favorite. They stood among a crowd of people at Scott's family home on St. Charles Avenue, armed with coolers of beer and lawn chairs, waiting for the night to fall.

He put his arm around her waist and bent down. "I still don't quite understand, Darcy. All of this … simply because one must begin to fast next Wednesday?"

She looked up and smiled. "Yep! You have to get the party out of your system before you give something up for Lent. By the time Ash Wednesday comes along, no one wants to look at alcohol and king cake anymore."

"But why must you give something up? Why go through all this?"

Darcy shrugged. "You're supposed to deny yourself one of your vices. Like, a fast … for the 40 days and 40 nights leading up to Easter. Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert … it's supposed to be a time of self-reflection … but these days it just means people eat seafood on Fridays."

He shook his head in confusion. "How is it that Jesus, out of all of the gods on your planet, was the one to make such a lasting impression."

"He was a rebel."

"Self-reflection does not exactly sound rebellious."

"No … he was rebellious because back when you could chop off someone's head just for looking at you sideways, he told people to just be nice to each other."

Loki laughed. "Just be nice to each other? Need I remind you of …"

Darcy held up her hand. "Don't! I'm not in any sort of mood to get into a deep philosophical discussion about Christianity with you, because in all probability, you'll be preaching to the choir. Let's just say that Jesus had a better PR guy than the other gods."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Very well, but for as much as parts of your country dislikes paganism, and dismisses the traditions of your ancient peoples as ignorant, this all seems very pagan."

"Most of our holidays have pagan roots. The more things change, the more things stay the same." Darcy lost her train of thought and pointed … "Look. It's starting."

Loki glanced down the street and saw several men holding long torches to light the path of the parade.

"That's the flambeaux," Darcy said. "The torchbearers. Back in the day, they would be slaves or free men of color, and they could earn money during the parades. People would throw them coins … but these days it's usually dollar bills."

Loki had spent weeks learning about the area's history and "people of color", as Darcy called them, and the idea of "racism". It was something that definitely struck his interest, as Asgard had its own views on color … but mainly with blue.

"So these torchbearers still light the way. Yet they are no longer slaves?"

Darcy laughed. "Um, no."

"Then why do they still get money from the crowd?"

"Tradition. New Orleans is very good at keeping traditions alive … even if they're obscenely outdated."

Jules and Scott then walked up and stood next to them, drinks in hand, to view the beginning of the parade. "Do you seem them yet?" Jules asked.

Darcy shook her head.

"Who are we supposed to be looking for?" Loki asked.

"It's the Muses parade … the all-woman parade. No dudes allowed," Darcy smirked. "And sometimes the muses like to show up to their parade."

"The muses?"

"The descendents of their great mothers, the Greek muses." Jules smiled and pointed. "See? There."

If you didn't practice magic, you wouldn't see it … but if you were tuned into the Earth's energies, you could pick up on it. As the parade started to roll down their section of the street, and giant colorful floats with ladies in bright wigs waved and threw beads and trinkets into the beckoning crowd … you could find nine women, all with a soft golden glow emanating from them, weaving through the mass of people.

"Make your magical presence known, you guys," Jules said, as she held up a hand, and her purple energy began to shine around her.

"In front of humans?" Loki was confused.

"They won't notice," Scott said. "It looks like all the other lights around here."

"Magic hidden in plain sight," Jules said.

They all held out their hands, though Loki didn't understand why. "I'm not sure what we're doing."

Darcy winked at him, her blue light glowing around her fingertips. "We're asking for a favor … everyone else out there has their hands raised for beads and Mardi Gras throws … we have our hands raised for a blessing of magic."

One of the nine women, with bright red hair and a long form-fitting, yet comfortable-looking white dress, sighted them and walked in their direction. When she came upon them, she waved a hand and a warm glow formed over them in a shimmery arc, blending with their magic. The woman smiled. "Jules," she said, her voice almost sounding like a song.

"Thank you, daughter of Erato," Jules replied and bowed slightly. The woman smiled, nodded in return, and was on her way.

Loki felt a gentle golden static run up his arm and then down his spine. It was as if the magic quenched a thirst that he had no idea was even there to begin with.

"She just dosed you with inspiration, Loki," Scott said, jumping up and down as if he was getting ready for a race. "Feels fucking amazing."

"And this is why Muses is my favorite parade … _damn_," Darcy said, stretching her arms toward the sky.

Loki looked around the crowd, able to pick up on every tiny detail, feeling a high that almost didn't quite fit with him, as it felt so incredibly light … it told him that he could do anything.

He shook his head and thought of the realm he used to scoff at, and dismissed as a planet filled with fools. A lower life-form. _Midgard. _

Darcy looked up at him and grinned. "You're doing that thing again, aren't you."

"What thing."

"That thing where you're like … '_Midgard. What the fuck_.'"

Loki grinned back at her. "I suppose you could say that."

* * *

**~~*...*~~**

The rest of the weekend went by in a haze of alcohol, music, crowds, more parades, and very little sleep. On Lundi Gras, the Monday before Mardi Gras, Eshu decided to show up, taking a break from his wanderings, to celebrate a day of chaos with his fellow brother-in-chaos. Loki and Eshu spent the afternoon messing with drunk people, their new favorite trick being one where they gave passed-out unfortunates horrific tattoos on very visible places on their bodies, like their forehead. Jules and Darcy protested until it was made apparent that the tattoos only looked and felt real, but they would wash off with ease.

Although no amount of drunkenness would make people forget about a party they happened to walk by, where a crawfish boil was being held. As soon as the big vat of mudbugs were dumped out on the long communal table, along with potatoes, corn on the cob, and mushrooms, the little creatures decided to not be cooked and ready to eat after all. They got up and started to scamper away. Every party-goer standing at the table then suddenly threw their go-cups of beer in the air and started running in the opposite direction and away from the zombie-crawfish … while the two Gods of Mischief stood at the side laughing their heads off, while Darcy and Jules exchanged glances of … "divine tricksters … can't take them anywhere."

By the time Mardi Gras Day rolled around, and the first rays of light broke through the curtains of Loki and Darcy's bedroom in the morning, neither one was all that motivated to get out of bed.

Darcy forced herself to sit up. "Come on, Loki. One more day."

He threw an arm around her and pulled her back under the covers. "I believe we should just sit this one out and spend the day in bed … I've not been able to have my way with you, as we've been too busy trekking around this city in a drunken fog."

Darcy snuggled up to him and kissed his cheek. "One more day. Then all the sex you want."

"Hn. How about just all the sex I want."

She sat back up. "Later. Now, get dressed. You have to teleport us to Jules' house."

He rolled his eyes but complied, and quite soon after that, found himself in Jules' living room watching Scott paint the girl's faces in elaborate floral designs, while they drank bloody marys at 6:30 in the morning.

"What are you for Mardi Gras, Loki?" Scott asked, as he put the finishing highlights of a blue flower on Darcy's cheek.

"I believe I'll just be Kanye West again, as I was on Halloween."

"Which means he just wants to wear his suit," Darcy said. "He's doing his thing where he doesn't want to look like a silly Midgardian and go out in public in costume."

Loki inclined his head. "That's not completely true, darling. I've added a very important element this time," he said, as he pulled a pair of shutter shades out of his pocket and put them on.

Darcy sat and laughed at her trickster boyfriend, looking gorgeous in his suit, his hair getting longer again, tied back in a ponytail … with Kanye West shutter shades. "I'll take it," she said.

After a few shots and filling their go-cups with plenty of bloody mary, they joined the rest of Jules's neighborhood in the walk towards the French Quarter, stopping every so often to mingle at a chilly morning party, or dance along with people on a street corner who had set up drink and music stations. Along the route, they were joined by Eshu and Chango, along with several people that Loki had never met, though they were always friendly, as if he'd known them for decades.

In the Quarter, he found himself amazed yet again. The area was packed, everyone dressed up as some sort of whimsical creature, or characters from fiction … also, a lot of sharks. Darcy had told him that it was a big year for sharks. As the day progressed and he became warmer, either from the weather or the alcohol, it gave him the illusion of comfort … and he found himself without his suit jacket and tie. And then he found himself without a shirt altogether as they happened upon a drum circle in an ancient narrow street. As the beat went on and on, he began dancing, everyone moving to the rhythm … and Loki discovered that he was able to close his eyes and lose himself completely to the music. It must have been all the vodka. Or rum. Probably the rum. Maybe both.

He opened his eyes to find Darcy staring at him, smiling.

"What is it?"

She nodded at him and he looked down. On his stomach, he could see a flash of blue. He had somehow faded into his Jotun form during the dance. He panicked momentarily but Darcy reached out to touch his chest. "Don't," she said. "It's all good."

_It's all good._

He couldn't bring himself to care … as no one around him seemed to care. Not one person. Everyone was smiling, laughing … and quite the opposite of caring about such things. No one was recoiling and running in the opposite direction, as they would have on Asgard. And his skin felt like it could breath in a completely new way.

They kept dancing until it began to get dark, and the streets started to become less populated with people, and filled with discarded beads and cups. The remnants of Carnival season … it's last few hours. It eventually began to rain, as if the land was washing away the weeks of excess, and people ducked inside of bars and eateries, packing them to the brim.

After they were thoroughly soaked and heard thunder in the distance, Darcy squeezed his hand. "I think we conjured a storm," she teased. "Can you take us home?"

He grinned down at her. "Gladly." They waved good-bye to their party before teleporting back to the house, in their living room.

Darcy shivered, her teeth chattering. "It's freezing in here."

"Well … you are all wet," Loki said, then he snapped his fingers, bringing up a fire in the fireplace.

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to be romantic?"

Loki shrugged. "Come here." He touched her cheek and all the make-up that had begun to smear from the rain disappeared, leaving behind only her soft skin.

He leaned down to kiss her and when he wrapped his arms around her, she gave a slight gasp. Loki broke the kiss and looked down … he was still in his Jotun form.

"I am sorry," he said, just about to revert back to Aesir.

"No! Don't. I like it … you're just … a little chilly." She smiled as she sat down on the rug in front of the fireplace. "Come over here. I'm about to be overheated. I'm going to need you to cool me down."

He knelt over her. "I can do that."

With ease, they peeled off each other's clothing, warming themselves by the fire, and building their own kind of heat. Loki ran his hands over her body, making it respond to the magic in his fingertips, sending gentle waves over her skin, brushing it with vibrations of pleasure. She in turn, did the same to him, as he had been teaching her how to direct her magic much better … and it felt intensely warm and inviting, while being in his Jotun form.

They took their time, exploring every inch of their bodies, lit only by firelight … the only sounds were their breathing, sighs of pleasure, and the rain's gentle tapping on the windows accompanied by the occasional rumble of thunder.

Darcy lay back on the soft rug as his mouth searched her neck, and then lavished her breasts with the utmost attention … taking the time to coax each nipple to their height of sensitivity, kneading with his hands. And then she found his head dipping lower, his lips kissing his way down and between her legs, until his tongue found her heated slick flesh, swollen from arousal.

She moaned at the sudden feeling of his cold lips, and he began to work gently, masterfully … the contrast making everything even more heightened than usual, the difference in temperature bringing about an ultra-awareness of every single movement, every lick, every swirl of his tongue. He would bring her to the brink, over and over again, and then slow down, back off, sending her into a lusty frenzy. He laughed softly as she took matters into her own hands and sat up, forcing him onto his back.

"Why are you always such a damn tease?" she said, as she straddled him.

"Hmmmnn, because I love it when you're so overcome, you take control … you're so beautiful when you take control." He groaned as she slid down onto him, the intense warmth of her enveloping him. "Sooo very beautiful."

Loki watched as she moved slowly, the light of the fire dancing across her curves, his own body overcome. He slipped back into his Aesir form to make it all last longer … he so wanted it to last. For forever.

Darcy bent down to kiss him. "Why did you switch?"

He ran his warm hands up her back. "Because it was about to be over with a little too quick for my liking."

"Hmmm." She sat up and began to pick up the pace. "I'll happily make love to you in either form."

He breathed deep and stretched in pleasure. "And I love you for it."

"I love you, too."

**~~::::::...::::::~~**

* * *

Thanks for reading, guys! Happy belated Mardi Gras. I'll be writing the sequel to MTDG after Age of Ultron comes out. I have a basic outline and a direction I want to go in, but I'd still like to kind of make it fit. At least a little ;-)

Until then, if you want, you can read For the Laughs, my other fic. It's a WIP and AU.

Also, I had to sneak it in there, but my first novel is about the muse from the "Muses" parade. Hopefully it will be finished soon. As always, thanks for your amazing support. I wouldn't be half the writer I am today without you.


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